The Angel Of Death
by Pyre the Pyro
Summary: Her name meant "the angel of death" so it wasn't quite the surprise when a Death Note ended up in her hands. The real surprise is that she got hers the same day that Light found his. They both wanted the same world but she isn't quite as optimistic as him, so what'll happen if she starts to lose faith in their dream? (NOT LIGHT/OC)
1. Testing the Discovery

Bored. That's the only word that could describe Shi-Tenshi Jigoyaku while she sat in her high school geometry class. Completely and utterly bored. Today was her seventeenth birthday and it just **had** to be on a Monday, didn't it? At times like these, it felt like God hated her.

'_**Why**__ did it have to be on __**Monday **__ and __**why**__ do I have to be here? Oh yeah, because skipping school is illegal in more countries other than just America. I forgot._' She thought to herself.

She let out a deep sigh and looked out the window in complete boredom. She blankly stared at her own reflection in the window, observing how the white streaks in her short hair contrasted with the sable in it. Her eyes were a dark, deep, unnatural onyx, the result of a genetic abnormality.

She tapped her black nails against her desk in boredom as well as to quell her ADHD. She unfortunately forgot her medicine this morning and was greatly suffering the effects of such a mistake. She let out another bored sigh as the tapping increased in frequency.

"Jigoyaku! Stop that tapping or you can do it in detention!" Her teacher, Mr. Higorashi, threatened.

She looked at him and replied apathetically, "Are you really going to waste both our time by writing me a detention slip? We both know I'm not going to go anyway so why bother? You might as well continue your lecture for the idiots in this class that don't already know how to do this, despite how simplistic it is."

Mr. Higorashi looked at her, his expression saying what words could but would not: he wasn't quite sure how to respond to that. She tended to have that effect on people. After flapping his jaw with no words coming out for a few moments, he eventually threw his hands in the air with a deep frustrated sigh, the exact response Shi had been expecting.

Shi-Tenshi smirked victoriously.

Ignoring Shi-Tenshi, Mr. Higorashi returned to his lecture of triangles while Shi-Tenshi, ignoring him, resumed looking out the window in boredom.

Shi-Tenshi mentally sighed.

'_Geometry is so boring. I'm not your mother, nor your wife, Math. Isn't it time you grew up and started solving your own problems?'_ She thought to herself, seeking at least a little amusement.

She felt someone poke her in the back with what was most likely a note. She discretely snaked her hand back behind her and felt someone slip a folded up piece of paper in her hand. Taking it, she brought her hand back up and unfolded the note under her desk. It read: "_Bored? –Light."_

She wrote back: "_I'm about to smash my head into my desk in the attempt to give myself brain damage so that I can leave."_

She held the note behind her back and felt her friend, Light, take it. She listened to him writing and held her hand out when she heard the writing stop. She took the note when pressed into her hand and read the new script.

"_Aww, don't do that. Class is almost over and it's the last period today. After this, we can go to my house. My mom made you cake."_

She let out a small sigh and wrote back a simple, "_She shouldn't have._"

Light, upon reading it, sighed as well. He tapped his pencil on his desk and was about to write back when the final bell rang.

Shi-Tenshi let out a sigh. "Finally, it's over."

Light smiled and replied, "Told you so."

Shi-Tenshi rolled her eyes and picked up her binders and such and returned them to her back pack. "Oh shut it. I know you did and you didn't have to tell me. Now, onto more important matters, why did your mother bake me a cake?"

It was Light's turn to roll his eyes. "Because, it's your seventeenth birthday and it's the only way you would get a cake. I'm not as ignorant as you think when it comes to your financial problems. My family and I are well aware that you can hardly afford your apartment as it is."

Shi-Tenshi sighed, simply because he was right, they both knew it, and she couldn't deny it.

"Yes, I know, but still. When you guys do stuff like this, I feel horrible because it makes me feel like I'm leeching off you and your family."

Light sighed and pulled her into a headlock and ruffled her hair, saying, "You know we don't feel like that, nor do we mind at all so you shouldn't either."

This action earned him a dark look. "Khhhhhh. Quit messing up my hair, it's annoying." She hissed at him, twitching.

Light innocently replied, "But your reaction is always oh so amusing!"

She glared slightly. "Don't make me stab you, Light."

He laughed. "Aww, you wouldn't do that, would you?" he jokingly inquired.

She smirked and replied, "Yes, yes I would." She then poked him with a pencil. "I never said with what though. Don't tell me you thought I'd stab you with a knife or something like that!"

He laughed and said, "Well, it's you so there's no telling what I'd be stabbed with. I could only hope that it was something that wasn't lethal."

She rolled her eyes before looking around. "School is over so why are we still here…?" she inquired, seeming slightly confused.

Light shrugged. "Guess we just got distracted."

"I guess so. Let's get out of here. I don't want to stay here any longer than I have to. There are stupid people here and I don't want to catch their stupid. No one knows how contagious it is." She replied.

Light nodded and gave a short and simple reply of: "Agreed, let's go."

She let out a big yawn and said, "After you."

Light replied, "Oh, I can't. Ladies first."

She gave a snarky reply of, "Which is exactly why you're going before me."

He rolled his eyes and made a remark that he knew was one of her pet peeves. "Whatever you say, Angel."

She let out a warning growl. "You know I hate being called that."

He answered with, "Indeed, I do know that. That's exactly why I call you that when you're being obnoxious."

She glared and responded with a "Keh!"

He laughed again and started leaving the now empty class room. "I thought we were leaving?" He asked casually.

"Keh, we are." She replied, following him out the door.

Light smiled and started to head for the exit to the school with Shi-Tenshi not far behind him. Once outside, Light started walking in the grass to the area by their geometry class. It seemed as if he was looking for something.

"Uh, Light? Last I checked, your house is in the other direction. Where are we going?" Shi-Tenshi said, breaking the silence.

Light looked back slightly. "I know, I'm looking for something."

She raised an eyebrow. "And what are you looking for exactly?"

"I don't know yet." Was Light's only answer.

"You're looking for something, but you don't know what it is? How will you know when you find it then?" She asked skeptically.

Light sighed softly. "I just will."

She shrugged and answered , "If you say so, Light."

"I do indeed. I could've sworn I saw something fall from the sky." Light informed her.

She gave him a look that clearly stated "Oh really?"

He twitched and said, "Don't give me that look, I'm serious."

She raised an eyebrow. "You legit saw something fall from the sky?"

Light sighed and nodded. "Yes, I did. It should be somewhere around-"

Shi-Tenshi cut him off. "Is that it over there?" she asked, pointing to a notebook randomly laying in the grass by a tree.

Light blinked in slight surprise. "I think so." He walked over and picked it up.

She walked over to him and peered over his shoulder. She read off, "Death Note, also known as The Notebook of Death. Sounds interesting enough. Open it and see what's written inside."

Light nodded. "As you wish." Was his reply as he opened up the notebook.

He read off what was written inside. With each rule he read, Shi-Tenshi's look of disbelief continued to intensify. When he was finished, she was rocking a "What the Hell Is Going On" expression. She slowly turned to look at him and asked in disbelief, "There's no way this thing works, right?"

Light rolled his eyes. "Of course it doesn't work. It's a ridiculous concept. Probably some freshman playing a joke."

She looked at him silently before speaking quietly. "This is far too in depth to have been written by a freshman, Light. The person who wrote this, whoever they are, they seem to be pretty damn serious about this. Maybe we should test it later."

Light looked at her in slight disbelief. "Assuming it does work, which it probably doesn't, we would have just murdered someone. You do understand that, right?"

Shi rolled her eyes. "Of course I do. That's why we're gonna test it on a criminal or some other person that's a waste of oxygen."

"…And if it does work?" Light asked curiously.

Shi looked thoughtful for a moment before her eyes narrowed to dangerous slits. "Someone needs to clean out the world's prisons, why not us? It's pathetic that criminals in prison are treated better than children in orphanages. It's wrong and despicable and that needs to change."

Light looked at her appreciatively. "My friend, I agree completely. Let's hope this Death Note thing works."

She nodded her agreement. "I hope it does as well. We need to go back to your house, however, because we have homework and I'd greatly appreciate your help with my physics work. You actually know how to explain this crap."

Light snorted softly in amusement and put the Death Note in his back pack. "Alright, I'll help on one condition."

"Whaaaaaat?" Shi-Tenshi whined.

Light smirked slightly. "You have to eat some cake."

Her eyes brightened slightly. "Oh. Is that all? I'll gladly eat some of the cake that shouldn't even be in existence right now in exchange for help with my homework. I don't know how to science."

Light snorted softly. "You do realize that "science" isn't a verb, right?"

"It is if I say it is! Next you're gonna say that "math" isn't a verb either. I don't like math-ing either though."

Light just facepalmed and started walking away. "Come on, Angel, or I'm leaving without you."

"Khhhhhh! Stop calling me Angel!" She hissed at him.

"Or else what?" Light asked, slightly mockingly, honestly curious as to what she would say. _'Calling her Angel is some serious taboo'_ He thought to himself.

Shi-Tenshi's eyes narrowed and her expression darkened and her voice took on a dangerous tone. "You don't want to know the things I'll do to you if you keep it up."**(a/n: I honestly didn't think about how dirty that sounded when I first wrote that…)**

Light backed away slightly, thinking: '_I have a feeling that I'd regret not believing her…'_

She smiled cheerfully at him and continued walking. She grabbed her skateboard from its hiding place and tossed Light his. Light easily caught it and put it on the ground.

"Shall we go?" She asked rhetorically, also getting on her skateboard.

Light answered anyway. "We shall indeed."

Shi-Tenshi smirked and kicked off hard, riding off the sidewalk and into the road. Light smirked slightly and followed her into the street, being mindful of traffic, unlike her, who, as reckless as always, rode off without bothering to look for traffic.

Weaving in and out of traffic, Shi-Tenshi made her way through Tokyo to where the Yagami residence was. Light was riding not too far behind her. He was making sure his brave to the point of foolishness friend didn't get hurt on accident or from some asshole trying to hit her, which had happened before and ended in both an ambulance and the cops showing up because they both needed a ride. And it wasn't Shi who was riding in the ambulance.

When they reached the heavily trafficked area of their route, they hopped up on the sidewalk, just to be safe, not to mention faster as well. They rode down the sidewalk, being careful to avoid pedestrians as they went, slowly but surely making their way to Light's house. When they were close to the house, they had to get off their boards and walk because the sidewalk faded into what were people's front yards.

Shi-Tenshi let out a soft sigh as the Yagami residence entered their line of sight. She groaned dramatically and said, "Oh so close, but also so very far! Will we ever make it?! The world may never know!"

Light laughed and smacked her gently. "They won't if you don't stop whining!"

She laughed and stuck her tongue out at him. "Nyehhh!"

Light rolled his eyes. "For someone who can be so serious, you're also surprisingly childish."

Shi smirked at him. "You love it, admit it! Admit you love the bipolar-ness!"

Light just laughed. "Well, it sure does keep the boredom at bay because when you're bored, you wreak havoc in any way you can."

She smiled cheerfully at him, which, when you compare it to her glare, is some scary shit. She simply replied, "I don't like being bored. It's irritating and rather miserable. When I get bored, and I stay bored for an extensive period of time, I have to make up for it later. It's as you said, I cause complete chaos for my own entertainment. There's a reason I'm forbidden to have a great deal of sugar."

Light snorted softly. "Not like that ever stops you." He shot back

Shi smirked and retorted, "Of course not! Do you have any idea how boring life would be if I wasn't as immature as I am?"

Light smirked and replied. "Very."

"Exactly." Was her response as they walked up Light's driveway.

Light sighed softly. "Home sweet home."

"Mmhmm…" was the only indication Shi made that she heard him. _'Home… I don't exactly have one. I have never considered that hell house home. Whatever house is his is one I'd never willingly live in._

Light walked up the driveway and into the house, taking his shoes off at the front door. Shi followed him up and did the same except that she also took her socks off and stuffed them into her Vanns. She despised walking around in socks. It was one of many of her odd quirks.

"Let's go up to my room." Light said, gesturing for Shi-Tenshi to follow.

She shrugged and simply said ok, and followed him up the stairs. Light walked up the stairs to his bedroom. He sat at his desk while Shi sat on it.

"Read the rules again, Light." She requested.

Light nodded and opened the notebook. He began reading off the rules again. After he finished, Shi spoke. "So depending on the person in mind, you can kill them easily or painfully… Interesting."

Light nodded. "This is pretty detailed for a prank, I'll give them that."

"Assuming it is a prank." Shi-Tenshi replied.

Light just sighed and flopped on his bed. He stared at his ceiling before saying, "So I write a name and that person dies? Like anyone would believe that."

Shi simply shrugged. "Who knows? It may be an elaborate prank, it may not. To be honest, I'm rather interested by this supposed "Notebook of Death". I find the concept intriguing because what if it is actually, yet seemingly impossible, legit?"

Light got up in a rush and slipped into the chair at his desk and flipped the notebook open. He grabbed a pen and held it against the paper before holding the pen to his mouth in deep thought.

'_Wait… If someone does die, does that make me a murderer?'_ He scoffed softly. _'Yeah right, it's completely impossible.'_

While Light was in deep thought, Shi-Tenshi had turned on the TV and had it flipped to the news.

"Hey, Light, look at this." She gestured to the news where there was a hostage crisis going on at a day care.

Light looked over and wrote his name down.

"Now to see if it works." Shi said.

Light rolled his eyes and replied, "I doubt it."

Light and Shi sat and watched and waited for something to happen on the news. After forty seconds, Light scoffed. "Looks like the notebook didn't work. Not like I expected it to."

Shi, on the other hand, had her eyes glued to the TV screen. "Oh my god… Light, the hostages are coming out."

Light looked over in shock. "What? They are?!"

"Yes, look!" Shi said right as the reporter announced that the criminal was dead.

Both Shi and Light dropped what they were holding. Light had a horrified expression while Shi-Tenshi simply stared in shock.

"H-he's dead…?" Shi-Tenshi stammered, unsure what to think.

'_**Dead**__?' _Light thought in disbelief. "A-a heart attack?" he asked the air.

"N-no way…" Shi muttered.

"A coincidence. It has to be a coincidence. There's no way!" Light said, desperately trying to convince himself that the words he spoke were true, that there was no way the notebook could have worked.

"Light~! Shi~! Come on down! I know you're up there! Come on down for cake! And "no" is not an acceptable answer, young lady!" Light's mother called up the stairs.

"Alright, Mrs. Yagami! We'll be down in a minute!" Shi called down the stairs.

"Don't forget you two have cram school tonight!" She called up.

"Yeah, mom, we know! Don't worry! We'll be there in just a sec!" Light yelled, putting the Death Note in his bag. _'Death Note. It's unlikely but if by chance this thing is real…'_ "Shi, we have to test it one more time."

"In that case, it should probably be another criminal." She mused.

"But if he's too well known, that could be a problem. If he dies, there's a good possibility that his death would be covered up." Light considered this dilemma.

Shi nodded. "We need to see results right away."

Light nodded his agreement. "We'll consider this all later, we have to go now though."

Shi-Tenshi nodded , grabbed her bag, went down the stairs, only to be stopped by Light's mother, who was holding a small rectangle package. Shi sighed. "Mrs. Yagami, you shouldn't have."

Mrs. Yagami smiled and laughed. "This is from your Aunt Renee back in America! She sent it to this address, hoping it would reach you." She said this as she handed her the package.

Shi smiled slightly and took it from Mrs. Yagami. "Thank you ." She said softly.

Mrs. Yagami smiled and handed her a card. "Open it." She ordered softly.

Shi sighed softly and opened the card. A fifty dollar iTunes gift card fell out. "Mrs. Yagami, why?" Shi asked softly, trying not to offend.

Light's mother smiled. "Because your parents aren't here to do it for you."

Shi-Tenshi blinked in surprise before looking away silently. "….. I guess that makes sense" She muttered quietly. "They could've been here if they really wanted to, they just didn't care enough to bother."

Mrs. Yagami smiled sadly. "My point exactly, now open your present from your aunt."

Shi smiled slightly before opening the box. She almost dropped the box when she saw what was in it. She forced a smile as she put the object in her bag. "Just what I wanted." Was her only comment laced with poisoned honey. She smiled charmingly as Light came down the stairs. "Ready, Light?" She asked with a forced smile.

Light nodded but raised an eyebrow at what he knew was a fake smile. She just shook her head and mouthed, _"I'll tell you later."_ He nodded again and held the door open for her. She scowled at him. "Does it look like my arms are broken? No, it doesn't because they aren't. I don't need you to open my door for me."

Light smiled charmingly and replied easily, "It's the polite thing to do around women, even if their arms are in perfect working condition."

"Khhhhhh." She hissed at him and went through the open door anyway. _'Just this once."_ She said to herself.

Light smirked slightly and followed her out and into the city.

***************************TIME SKIP TO AFTER CRAM SCHOOL*****************************

Shi was walking down the street with Light, twitching at all the people there who were society's parasites. _'When will someone get rid of all these leeches? No one would miss them, they're parasites, sucking the life out of our society, leaving nothing good left for those that deserve what has been stolen by those who don't.' _ These morbid thoughts filled her mind. They weren't at all different from those going through Light's head, merely worded differently.

_'Once you actually start looking around, it makes you wonder if you'd be doing society a favor by getting rid of all these people.' _Light mused, as he and Shi entered a supermarket, the two glancing at the girl surrounded by the motorcyclists. Shi gave them a dirty look as she passed. One of them gave her a look and wolf whistled at her.

"You're more than welcome to join, pretty little lady!" one of them sneered.

Shi-Tenshi scoffed. "Kiss my ass, you worthless vermin. Don't scum like you have more important things to do than to sexually harass teenagers?"

The two bikers glared at her. She glared back at the swine, making them flinch slightly, and walked into the super market with Light.

"Light… let me see it, we'll use them as guinea pigs." Shi growled, pissed.

Light discretely handed the Death Note to her as well as a pencil. Shi started to write down the details as Light angrily watched the bikers and the girl. Shi looked at her watch and kept track of the time. When the forty seconds were up, she looked up just in time to see the biker get hit by an eighteen wheeled semi . Her eyes widened in shock. She slowly turned to look at Light, who had slowly turned to look at her.

"The Death Note…" Light started.

"Is real…" Shi-Tenshi finished his sentence.

They both had the same look of disbelief and the same two words were going through both their heads: Holy shit…


	2. Those That Hide In The Dark

_**Chapter 2: Those that hide in the dark**_

********************FIVE DAYS LATER**********

It was pouring outside when Shi-Tenshi and Light made it back to the Yagami residence. They ran up the driveway, Light, completely dry, and Shi-Tenshi, completely soaked. The reason for this is that Shi-Tenshi absolutely refused to share the umbrella, insisting that there was only room for one and since it was Light's umbrella, he should be the one to use it.

Once on the porch, Shi-Tenshi shook her head, trying to shake off as much water as she could. Light smirked slightly. She gave him a _look_, daring him to comment. He dared.

"Ya know, you looked kinda like a puppy, shaking your head like that."

She gave him a dark look. His smirk widened. She glared back. Her response was, "And you'll look like a pug when I high five you in the face with a shovel."

He held up his hands in surrender at her threat. "Alright alright, you win. I'm sorry."

Shi-Tenshi rolled her eyes and walked inside the house, taking off her wet shoes before going inside.

"Well this is quite the surprise. I wasn't expecting you home so early." Light's mother was waiting for them at the door.

"Yeah, that because-" Light began but was cut off by his mother holding out her hands. "Oh, the nationwide exam scores." He rummaged through his bag and pulled them out.

She nodded. "Mmhmm, I've been waiting all day."

He handed them to his mother. Shi looked on from the background. She took hers out and looked at her Advanced score. She discretely went into the kitchen and threw them in the trash. She sighed and muttered, "Not like it'd matter whether or not my parents saw. Mailing it to them would be a waste of time and energy." With that being said and done, she walked back to where Light and his mother were still in the hall, about to part ways.

"Shi, let's go up to my room." Light said, eyebrow twitching as a subtle hint.

She nodded and followed him up the stairs.

"Are you sure you two don't need anything, Light, Shi?" Mrs. Yagami called from the kitchen.

Light yelled down the stairs, "No, mom, we're alright!"

"Ok sweetie! Just holler if you need something!"

Shi answered this time as she flopped on Light's bed. "Don't worry, we will!"

Light sat down at his desk and pulled out the Death Note. He started laughing as he flipped through the pages, many of which were covered in names. Shi watched him, amused.

"Don't go psycho, Light, or I may have to kill you with it." She said, voice dripping with amusement.

"Oh shut it, you." He responded good naturedly.

Shi just rolled her eyes before shutting them, enjoying the sound of the storm raging outside. She listened to the thunder roar and to the rain pelt and drip and splash and create all sorts of noises. She knew every time lightning flashed across the sky without even opening her eyes.

"You've taken quite a liking to it." She heard a deep voice hiss and Light shout.

Her eyes flew open at the sound and she nearly had a panic attack when she saw Light on the floor, looking terrified and the being the voice belonged to. Covered in black leather-like material and ghastly pale skin with glowing red eyes, combined with the lightning flashing in the background, illuminating the being, the demon was quite the fearsome sight to behold.

She stared in complete shock and horror, yet there was a small amount of fascination mixed in. What was this creature? She asked just that. "What the hell are you?"

"No reason to act afraid. I am the Shinigami, Ryuk, and that was once my notebook."

"Is that so?" Shi-Tenshi inquired warily.

Ryuk ignored her question. "Judging by your laughter, you've already figured out that what you have is no ordinary notebook."

Light slowly stood up from his spot on the floor. "Shinigami. The god of death, huh? Well, I'm not surprised. As a matter of fact, I've been waiting for you, Ryuk."

"Oh?" was Ryuk's only response while Shi raised her eyebrow, desiring an explanation.

"We've already figured out that the Death Note that Light found was real. It didn't take too long." Shi calmly stated, going along with whatever Light was doing.

"And now that I've seen the proof of its power, I only feel more confident in what I'm going to do." Light said confidently.

"Oh? That's interesting. I certainly wasn't expecting this. Several Death Notes have made their way into the human world in the past, but you're the first to have written this many names. Look at how many people you've killed in only five days. Most humans are reluctant to write this much."

"We're not like your average, run of the mill human and he's written this much because we have a mission to accomplish and the Death Note is the key to achieving success." Shi responded, original intimidation caused by Ryuk all but disappearing.

"I've already prepared myself, Ryuk. I used this notebook, despite knowing it belonged to a Shinigami. And now that Shinigami has come. So what will happen to me? You're here to take my soul, right?" Light inquired confidently.

Shi sighed and told him, "I don't think it works that way, Light."

Ryuk grinned and turned to face her. "You would know, wouldn't you? The being who once possessed your Death Note wrote more in depth rules and instructions in it, didn't he? Typical Akuryo. I expected nothing less from that youngster."

Shi tensed slightly. "I don't know what you're talking about." She replied apathetically.

Ryuk grinned. "Suuuure you don't. So it **wasn't** a Death Note that that Renee woman sent you for your birthday?"

Shi-Tenshi froze completely. _'Shit…'_ Light slowly turned to look at her.

"You have a Death Note?" He asked in disbelief.

She let out a deep sigh and turned to face him. "I do." Was her simple reply.

Light just stared at her in shock for a moment before demanding, "Why didn't you tell me?"

Shi let out a frustrated sigh. "Because I wasn't sure what to do. It's what was in the package my aunt sent me. I've been trying to figure out where she could have possibly gotten it from. I also wasn't sure how you'd react to it."

Light stared at her before sighing softly. "I wish you told me sooner. Have you used it yet?" he inquired curiously.

She shook her head, "No, I haven't."

Light raised an eyebrow. "Why not?"

Shi looked at him incredulously. "What do you mean, "why not"? The answer is obvious: I wasn't sure if I should or not!"

Light smirked slightly and told her, "Well you should, so pull out a pen and let's get started." This reaction made her blink in shock and stare for a moment.

"Seriously?" she asked in slight surprise.

"Of course. You're the only one I can trust to help me and the only one who can. So, let's get started."

Ryuk cleared his throat, drawing their attention back to him. "What did you mean when you asked if I was here to take your soul? Is that some fantasy you humans came up with? I'm not gonna do anything to you."

Shi-Tenshi blinked in surprise and raised an eyebrow. "Really? Is that so?" she asked skeptically.

"The notebook becomes part of the human world the instant it touches the ground. In other words, the notebook is now yours." Ryuk explained.

"This…is mine?" Light slowly asked before asking an even better question. "Why me?"

Ryuk rolled his eyes. "Sorry to burst your bubble but you're not special. I just happened to drop it in Japan and you just happened to be the one to pick it up. It was completely a coincidence."

Light blinked a couple times but his only reaction was just a simple sigh. Shi looked up at Ryuk from her position sprawled across Light's bed. She asked, "Where did my aunt get my Death Note and should I expect a Shinigami other than you to show up wanting it back?"

Ryuk shrugged and grinned slightly. "Akuryo dropped his just as I dropped mine. The difference is that he is much more volatile and temperamental than I am. He's more likely to kill you to get his Death Note back. I purposely dropped mine because I was bored. I wouldn't know the details behind Akuryo dropping his."

Shi was silent for a moment before asking another question. "Should I expect this "Akuryo" to show up anytime soon? Also, what if someone sees you?"

Ryuk snickered. "You should indeed expect Akuryo to show up. He's an odd one. He's young and like I said earlier, extremely volatile. You should take care not to anger him. As for your other question, the only way for someone to see me is for them to touch the Death Note. It'll be the same for Akuryo. Only those that have touched your Death Note will be able to see him."

Light and Shi pondered this for a moment.

"So… All it takes to be able to see you is for them to touch the Death Note?" Light inquired.

"That is correct so you brats need to be careful with them. It's potentially dangerous if the Death Note is discovered by government officials of any country. Such a scenario is easily possible through careless mistakes so I recommend you watch your steps and those of the people closest to you carefully. If you do not, disaster is sure to strike." Shi-Tenshi heard a new voice speak but Light didn't seem to hear it. She turned to face the being who spoke and her eyes widened slightly.

The new being had large black wings that more resembled those of an angel than those of a demon. He was wearing a long, black, hooded cloak with the hood up. The hood shadowed his face, leaving mainly his glowing amber eyes and lower half of his face visible. His skin was a bluish gray color. His cloak had rather ordinate shoulder pauldrons and he wore a belt that seemed to match the pauldrons. A small portion of his chest was exposed and there was a strange symbol on the abdomen of his cloak. It was engraved in this place and that specific part of the cloak seemed to be made of a leather like material.

Shi-Tenshi looked at him and knew instantly that this must be Akuryo. She was surprised that he was humanoid, like some kind of fallen angel, not something she had expected, after seeing Ryuk.

"Shi? What're you looking at…?" Light asked curiously.

Ryuk snickered. "You haven't touched her death note, have you? Akuryo is here. The fact that you can't see him is evidence enough that you haven't touched her Death Note."

Light slowly turned to look at Shi. "He's here?"

Shi nodded. "Yeah." Was her short reply.

Ryuk snickered some more. "Wise as always, Akuryo." He said mockingly.

Akuryo apathetically looked over the group. "No. I just have common sense, something you greatly lack."

Ryuk angrily muttered something in a language Shi and Light could not understand. Whatever was said, it made Akuryo snort softly. His glowing eyes then landed on Shi-Tenshi. He spoke slowly, meaningfully. " So… This is the brat that Renee gave my Death Note to. She told me she would be leaving you a note in the package. She didn't tell me what it said, however. I'd like to know what she told you." His words were calm but there was a dangerous under tone in his voice, but Shi assumed that it was always there.

She held up the small note from the package. It was no bigger than a note card. "She told me to use it wisely. That's all she put down on the note."

Akuryo looked her up and down for a moment before speaking. "You don't like to apologize nor are you afraid of most things. Wary, perhaps, cautious, perhaps, but afraid? No, you're not afraid of anything, are you?"

"Not really. Most fears are of things that lead to death. Death is inevitable so I find fear pointless. Why be afraid of something that will eventually happen? Everyone dies, the only difference between people is when and how they die. How did you know?" Shi-Tenshi responded honestly.

The Shinigami eyed her carefully before letting out a low chuckles. Shi questioningly raised an eyebrow. "What exactly is so funny?" She asked, voice tainted with a dangerous venom.

Akuryo's eyes narrowed slightly, only visible because the glow his eyes gave off dimmed a bit. He let out a dangerous growl. "I like you, kid, but I recommend you watch your tone. I'm not hard to anger and it's never very pleasant when I get angry because someone usually dies. It'd be a shame if that person was you, brat."

Shi-Tenshi's eyes widened in surprise at the venom in his voice. She didn't quite know how to react to his words. "… Alright then."

Akuryo smirked slightly. "Good girl."

Shi twitched. "I'm not a dog, so I'd appreciate it if you wouldn't treat me and speak to me as if I were one."

Akuryo chuckled, Ryuk snickered, and Light looked on confused and completely unaware of what was going on.

Akuryo shook his head in slight amusement before looking at her. "The answer to your question is that I can see it in your eyes. A distinct lack of fear. I also can't smell or sense any fear within you. A sharp contrast between you and your friend."

Shi-Tenshi arched an eyebrow, silently asking for further information.

Akuryo smirked, showing very deadly looking fangs. "He's oozing with the scent of fear. I can easily taste it in the air. He hides it well. Were I a human, I'd be completely ignorant. Seeing as I'm not, however, it's rather obvious to me."

Ryuk gave him a frustrated look. "I'm trying to explain the Death Note, Akuryo, so hush brat."

Akuryo gave him a dark look before crossing his arms. "Tch, whatever."

"I have a feeling that I'm missing something here." Light said, twitching slightly.

Shi-Tenshi sighed and smacked him with her Death Note gently. Light blinked a few times and looked at Akuryo. He was clearly surprised by how human he seemed.

Ryuk chuckled. "He does look a lot different from Shinigami but there are very few similarities between Shinigami. The one thing that doesn't change is that we scare the crap out of people seeing us for the first time."

Light rolled his eyes. "Whatever."

Shi decided to change the subject. "So the Death Notes, they are ours now?"

Ryuk nodded. "If you don't want it, just give it to someone else."

Shi's eyes narrowed. "What's the catch to giving it away?"

Akuryo answered that question. "If you give it away, or relinquish ownership in any other method or way, we'll be forced to erase all your memories of the Death Note."

Light stared at them in shock. "Wait! You're saying we can use the Death Note all we want and we won't be punished?"

Akuryo snorted softly. "The only price to pay is the fear and pain that comes with using the Death Note. Oh, and the fact you won't be able to go to either heaven or hell when you die."

Shi raised an eyebrow. She cautiously asked, "Then what happens to your soul?"

Ryuk smirked slightly. "It's quite simple. You either cease to exist or…"

Shi sighed, jaded. ** "Or what?" **She asked in frustration.

Ryuk grinned while Akuryo just sighed.

"You become a Reaper, just like Akuryo."


	3. The Differences

_**Chapter 3: The differences**_

Shi raised an eyebrow. "What's a Reaper, exactly…?" She inquired cautiously, looking between Akuryo and Ryuk.

Ryuk's grin widened while Akuryo sighed in frustration. Light raised an eyebrow at the two and asked, "Did you say Akuryo was a Reaper?"

Ryuk snickered. "I did because he is. The reason he isn't like other Shinigami is because he isn't one. I never said Akuryo was a Shinigami. That's just something you assumed on your own." Ryuk answered sassily.

Shi-Tenshi gave him a dirty look. "Do tell me this: are you capable of shutting your mouth for ten minutes and or not spouting bullshit, or is that asking too much?"

Ryuk pouted at her while Akuryo smirked in amusement.

"Be nice!" Ryuk's pout intensified.

Akuryo snorted. "You have no idea how disturbing that is, do you?" He asked, snarky.

Ryuk glared slightly. "Shut up, Akuryo. Don't be so disrespectful to your elders."

Akuryo growled evilly. "Just because you're a Shinigami and I'm a Reaper doesn't make you my superior. Don't forget which one of us will never die." He hissed angrily.

Ryuk twitched slightly. "Don't forget which one of us has a corporal body, isn't restricted to only the spiritual world unless departure is approved of, and isn't already dead. Now go do your job. I'm sure there are some spirits for you to round up. People die every day, you know, and it seems to be happening more frequently than it used to." He jeered.

Akuryo growled demonically. "Of course I know. I've been a Reaper for over a hundred years."

Light furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. "If you converted your age to that of a human, how old would you be?"

Shi looked back at the two quarreling demons, also curious about the answer. Akuryo looked thoughtful for a moment.

"I'd be about 17. I died when I was 23, however." Was his answer.

Shi raised an eyebrow before simply nodding and asked, "So, what's the difference between a Shinigami and a Reaper?"

Ryuk snickered while Akuryo sighed. Akuryo looked at Ryuk and Ryuk looked at Akuryo.

"Will you explain or shall I?" Akuryo asked.

Ryuk waved his hand, saying, "You do it, Mr. Know-It-All."

Akuryo rolled his eyes. "I don't know it all, I just know more than you do. I will explain because you're explanation will only confuse them."

Shi's eyes narrowed. "Is that an insult to our intelligence?" Light twitched at the notion.

Akuryo chuckled deeply and answered, "No, it was an insult to Ryuk's intelligence."

"Ryuk has intelligence?" Shi asked innocently.

"Hey! I have plenty of intelligence!" Ryuk exclaimed, only succeeding in making himself appear more foolish. He twitched when he realized this.

Shi-Tenshi sighed at him. Light facepalmed at him. Akuryo rolled his eyes at him.

Shi-Tenshi then directed her attention to Akuryo. "You said you would explain the difference between a Reaper and a Shinigami?" She prompted.

Akuryo sighed and nodded. "I will, but first I'll explain what happens when a Death Note user dies, so you have a basic understanding."

"All right, please continue." Shi requested.

Akuryo nodded once more and started his explanation.

"If you possess a Death Note, and you use it, you cannot enter heaven nor hell. So, the question you correctly asked first is "what happens to the soul then?" The answer is this: your soul either dissipates and your essence goes to the Shinigami who was the original owner of the Death Note you used, making you cease to exist, or you become a Reaper." He paused, allowing time for questions.

Shi latched to the opportunity to interrogate. "How do you become a Reaper? What do you have to do?" She inquired curiously.

Akuryo chuckled before answering, "Nothing. There is absolutely nothing** you** can do to become a Reaper. The only way to become a Reaper is for an already existing Reaper to take your soul before it dissipates. They then can crystallize it after you take on a spectral form and they give you the crystal that is your soul. Reapers always hide their soul crystals because the only way to kill a Reaper is to smash the crystal incasing their soul, for it is the only thing that is keeping their soul from dissipating. Then again, some of the more malevolent Reapers will keep your soul crystal so they can manipulate you, but that's actually a rather rare occurrence. What's more common is for the Reaper to keep your soul crystal and merge it into their own, making them and their magic stronger. This will also kill the newly reborn Reaper. However, they can absorb souls of normal human beings and not reapers to strengthen their own soul, but it's not near as effective as absorbing a reaper's soul."

"Why's that?" Light questioned.

Ryuk answered that one. "Because, when a human becomes a reaper, their soul becomes exponentially more powerful than it was as just an ordinary human soul. By turning the human into a reaper before absorbing their soul, the reaper gains more power than he or she would have originally.

Shi and Light stared at him, both overwhelmed by all this information about beings who shouldn't even exist.

"So…" Shi began.

"Hm? Akuryo prompted.

"What happened to the Reaper who made you into one?" she asked hesitantly.

Akuryo looked at her silently. "….."

Ryuk sighed and answered in his stead. "She died a long time ago in human years, but seventy five years is like a heartbeat to a Reaper." He looked over at Akuryo but he seemed deep in thought about something.

Akuryo looked up after a few minutes. "Hm…?" he questioned, completely oblivious of anything said or done during the time he was thinking.

Shi looked at him then away with a sigh. "Nothing. I'm sorry."

Akuryo cocked his head to the side. "For what?" he asked.

"…. Nothing. Forget I said anything." She said awkwardly, not feeling it was her place to comment.

'_This girl… She's so strange…Most would tremble in fear at me, not to mention Ryuk, but she seems completely at ease. She's fearless to a point of recklessness… Reminds me of someone I used to know.'_ Akuryo pondered the mystery that is Shi-Tenshi Jigoyaku.

"So… What's the difference between a Shinigami and a Reaper?" Light asked to break the slightly tense atmosphere.

Ryuk grinned. "The difference is that Shinigami are stronger than Reapers, they're more powerful."

Akuryo's wing twitched near invisibly. He growled through grit fangs, "That's not true and you know it, Ryuk. The difference between the Shinigami and the Reapers is both simple and complex."

Light raised an eyebrow. "How is it both?" he inquired.

Akuryo growled. "If you fools would stop interrupting me, I'd be able to tell you ignorant humans."

Shi twitched but held her tongue, not daring to offend what she knew was an incredibly powerful being.

Akuryo smirked slightly. "Good children." He said mockingly.

Oh, now she did. "Has anyone ever told you that your ass is showing?" **(a/n: She just called him an asshole, for any who doesn't understand what that means)**

Akuryo just gave her a _look_. "Silence mortal." He growled.

Shi-Tenshi flinched slightly and shut her mouth. "…"

Light sighed and got them back on topic, noticing Shi-Tenshi's discomfort. "You were explaining? We'll be quiet now."

Akuryo directed his attention to Light, allowing Shi-Tenshi to let out the breath she was holding. She hadn't even realized she stopped breathing.

Akuryo nodded and started explaining once more. "The difference between Shinigami and Reapers is their purposes and abilities. The reason Shinigami exist is rather simple. Shinigami sole purpose in existence is to kill humans. They exist to keep the world from getting too over-populated."

Shi-Tenshi raised an eyebrow but didn't say anything. Akuryo looked at her. "Question?" He asked simply.

She nodded in response.

"Go ahead." He prompted her.

"You said Shinigami exist to keep the world from overpopulating, right?" she asked.

Akuryo nodded, "That is correct, why do you ask?"

"It's the fact that the world is already overpopulated, so why aren't the Shinigami doing what is supposed to be their job?" She questioned.

Akuryo chuckled, causing her to raise her eyebrow even more. His answer satisfied her. "They keep the human race from multiplying so much to the point that your world runs out of resources and the human race dies from starvation. That is their purpose. I suppose I should have elaborated further because that was a valid question. Now, shall I continue?"

Shi-Tenshi and Light nodded.

Akuryo continued his explanation. "On the other hand, Reapers exist to take dead souls to either heaven or hell. Now, onto their abilities. The Shinigami have Death Notes, which is what they use to kill. They always know a person's name because to a Shinigami, the names and life spans of people float above their heads. This makes killing people very easy. On the other hand, if a Reaper can retrieve his or her Death Note before someone else picks it up, he or she can still use it, it will still belong to him or her. However, if someone else picks it up, it's more difficult to retrieve it, but not impossible. Hmm… Actually, now that I think about it, it's rather simple due to the abilities of Reapers. They have the ability to take or give life at will, this means they can transfer one person's life span to another. They can shorten one human's life to lengthen another's. They can take just a portion of his or her life, or they can give it all, killing the human that they took the life from. Through this ability, Reapers can regain his or her Death Note by killing the current owner and taking it from his or her corpse. It is this ability that can make Reapers more deadly than Shinigami at times because if they have a Death Note, they can not only transfer life, but take it away completely without saving another person. A Shinigami can only take life, they cannot give it. Also, if a Shinigami takes a life to save a human they have an affection for, the Shinigami will die and their remaining life span will go to the human they just saved."

Ryuk looked at him in interest. "Really? I didn't know that."

Akuryo snorted softly. "You don't know things, that's why it's not your job to think. Now don't interrupt me."

Ryuk rolled his eyes, "Whatever you say, mom."

It was Akuryo's turn to roll his eyes. "If I was your mother, I'd kill myself for creating such a pain in the ass."

Ryuk stuck his tongue out and went, "Nyehhh!"

Akuryo snorted and sneered, "What a petulant child."

Ryuk twitched and glared slightly, "I'm older than you, brat."

"Yet less mature." Akuryo responded easily.

Shi decided to break it up before it got violent. "Are those all the abilities of Reapers and Shinigami?" she asked curiously.

Akuryo returned his attention to her. "Except for the occasional Reaper or Shinigami that can use Abyssal Arts, yes. Then again, if you consider the ability to phase through objects as an ability of Shinigami and Reapers, then that is one. There's also the very rare Reaper than can hold a tangible body outside of the spiritual realm. That is a very rare ability for a Reaper though. It's not as rare for a Shinigami, however. But then again, they aren't a type of wraith like Reapers are."

Light gave him an odd look. "Reapers are wraiths?" He questioned curiously.

Akuryo sighed. "More or less because we're technically dead but we're different from other wraiths and spirits. A Reapers duty is to track down souls, ghosts, poltergeists, spirits, and other forms of undead spirits and take them to either heaven or hell, but we Reapers can go to neither. We're basically a method of transportation for other dead souls but we simply drop off the spirits and ghosts and souls of the dead, we don't stay in the afterlife ourselves. No eternal rest is the cost of being a Reaper."

"That's interesting…" Light replied.

Shi looked thoughtful for a moment before asking, "So, can Reapers die? And if so, how?"

" The only way to kill a Reaper is to smash their soul crystal. In other words, by destroying a soul crystal, you're destroying that Reaper's soul. That is why Reapers always hide their soul crystal, so no one and nothing can destroy it and also so another power hungry Reaper cant steal it and their power by absorbing the soul crystal and the power within it into their own crystal."

Light nodded at the explanation. Shi nodded as well but appeared deep in thought. She was silent for a moment before asking, "So, do Shinigami live in the Spiritual Realm as well?"

Ryuk laughed as if that was the funniest thing he had ever heard in his life, causing her to twitch.

"I do believe I missed the joke. Do tell what you find so entertaining." She requested scathingly.

Ryuk continued to snicker and ignored her in favor of answering her question. Akuryo sighed and answered it for him. "No, they don't. Shinigami live in the Shinigami world, a desolate, rotting waste land that reeks of death and decay. Humans live in this world, the Human World. And then there's the Spiritual Realm, which is where ghosts, spirits, Reapers, and other supernatural, and usually intangible to humans, beings dwell . The Human World and the Spiritual Realm are like two sides of a coin. Spirits and such can see what's going on in the Human World with great ease. However, usually, a human can see only what the spirit allows them to, but some humans possess the ability to see spirits but it comes with great meditation and training. Such people are usually monks, priests, priestesses, or mediators. However, some with a Death Note can see spirits but that happens very rarely."

Shi nodded slowly and asked slowly, cautiously, curiously, "Is that why I could see you?"

Akuryo debated this for a moment before answering, "It may be, but it's impossible to say and it be completely accurate."

Light raised an eyebrow while Shi gave him a questioning look. "Why do you say that…?" She inquired cautiously.

"I don't know if that's the case because I let you see me."

**So, I'd like to thank the following people for taking the time to review my story because seeing the evidence that people are actually reading it is very motivating for me. However, a lack of reviews will not stop me from posting. Lack of internet will though and I'm not quite sure how often I will be able to have access to internet and when I'll be able to post. I'll do my best to post as soon as a chapter is written and typed and all that but that depends on access to computers. But anyway, thanks to:**

**Armyvenomangel, the one who inspires me to write**

**Shannon Buck, my mother and Beta**

**Anissa, for even reading my story and asking for an update**


	4. The Reasons Why

**Chapter 4: The Reasons Why**

Shi –Tenshi slowly sat up on Light's bed. "What…? Why?" she asked warily.

Akuryo shrugged and answered back, "Simple, I was bored and was curious as to how you would react. I wondered how your reaction would differ from that of Renee's. That's all."

Light and Shi stared at him. Light asked in disbelief, "So why did you drop your Death Note and how long has this "Renee" had it?"

Shi looked up and answered the second question for Akuryo. "She's had at least one for at least fourteen years. That or she's had more than one."

Akuryo looked at her and raised an eyebrow underneath his hood, despite the fact that she couldn't see it. "It's the latter but how'd you know that?" he inquired curiously.

She was silent for a moment before replying, "I saw it when I was a little kid. I was at her house for her to babysit for my mother and it was on her bookshelf. I was too young to read so I never knew what it said but I do now. It was this." She held up the Death Note to emphasize her explanation. "Now that I think about it, I'm not too surprised my Aunt 'Ne had something like this. The surprising part is that she gave it to me. It's not something I expected from her."

Light raised an eyebrow. "You're not surprised your aunt had a Death Note?"

"Not at all."

"Why…?" he questioned warily.

Shi shrugged and simply said, "Because she's weird and has a lot of weird stuff."

Light sighed and asked, "Like what?"

Shi looked at him and said very seriously, "Trust me when I say you'd rather not know."

Light looked at her oddly and raised his eyebrow even further. Shi-Tenshi shook her head and tiredly flopped back down on his bed.

Ryuk, who had been watching this exchange, gave them both an odd look. "You humans are most certainly interesting creatures."

Akuryo snorted. "Actually, most humans are rather boring. These two are in a class of their own. The only way other humans are even remotely interesting is that everything humans build are used to destroy. They gain power and then they destroy everything and start over. They pick up the pieces that can be reused and start from practically nothing. It's as if they think anything will be different. I suppose they never got the memo that all life is a cycle that the world cannot escape."

Shi sighed and looked over at him from her position on the bed. He was standing in the darkest corner of the room. The only indicator that he was even there were his glowing gold eyes. She propped herself on her elbows and addressed him.

"There's something you may not understand. Humans will be humans. We're not perfect. We live, we breathe, we die and we make mistakes the whole time we do it. Making mistakes, acting without rationality, judging others for the crimes we commit ourselves: that's what it means to be human. Those things happen and nothing can be done about it." Shi calmly said, all humor, joke, and sarcasm in her voice replaced by a seriousness that very few people saw from the sarcasm loving, rebellious teenager.

Akuryo blinked in surprise. "You seem much less optimistic than Renee." He commented casually.

Shi shrugged and replied, "I'm a pessimist by nature. I'm rather morbid and depressing to be around."

Akuryo snorted, folded his wings and made them disappear, and walked over to the desk and leaned on it. "Yes," he said. "I noticed."

"Keh…" Was the only indication she made that she heard him.

His eyes narrowed slightly. "Don't 'keh', at me, brat, or I might just rip your tongue out." He growled dangerously, venom dripping from each and every word.

Shi's eyes widened slightly and she leaned further away from his general direction. She scoffed, "Humph, whatever," not about to give him the pleasure of seeing her intimidated even slightly.

He rolled his eyes and then closed them. "Tch, bratty human."

Ryuk turned to the door, and said, "I hear someone coming," right as Light's mother knocked on the door.

Light got up from leaning against the desk and walked over to the door quietly and opened it. "Yeah, mom?" he asked.

"Would you like an apple? Our neighbors had too many and they sent some for us. Here." She handed him the basket of apples.

Ryuk's eyes brightened with delight when he saw the basket of apples. Shi resisted the urge to raise an eyebrow at his odd behavior while Akuryo rolled his eyes and face palmed at him.

'_What is with Ryuk? Is he addicted to apples or something…?'_ Shi wondered.

Akuryo sighed. _'Why am I with this idiot again? Because the one I'm tied to is friends with the one he is tied to and they're practically attached at the hip. Damn it. God really does hate me.'_ Akuryo morbidly thought to himself.

"Thanks mom. We'll take them." Light replied pleasantly, taking the offered fruit.

"Oh, why is it so dark in here? You two are going to ruin your eye sight if you keep this up!" She exclaimed worriedly.

Shi said simply, "The light hurts my eyes."

Mrs. Yagami sighed, flustered. "But Shi! You could go blind!"

Well, if I'm blind then I don't have to worry about light hurting my eyes, do I? They'd just be kept closed and by that point it won't really matter, would it?" Shi asked, laughing.

Mrs. Yagami looked horrified. "Shi! That's so morbid!"

Shi-Tenshi just shrugged at her words. "Is it? I could've sworn that I've said and done worse than joking about going blind."

Light sighed at her and replied, "You have, yes, but that's beside the point. The point is that you're morbid and a pessimist."

Shi gave him a _look_ and retorted, "Not everyone can be as optimistic as you, Light. Some people can only view life morbidly because they've watched too many tragedies strike, disasters occur, and people die. There's only so much a person can witness before losing all faith in the belief that it's not to late and that the world can still be saved. I'm simply glad that you still have faith in this world, and I'm trying to for two reasons: first, because they wouldn't want me to be upset. Second, because you and the things you do make me believe, even if only a little bit, that there's a still shred of good left in the world. You make me think, even just for a short moment, that men weren't born to be killers. You're one of my only friends and it's because you're one of the few people that give me hope."

Light's eyes widened at Shi-Tenshi's words. _'Now that I think about it, I never really thought or questioned why she was so morbid. However, when I stop and take a moment to let it all in, Shi has lost a lot to the filth of this world. It never really occurred to me.'_ Light mused guiltily.

Shi-Tenshi was immersed in her own thoughts by that time. _'Ashe… Krysta… I'm sorry… I'm also sorry to you guys too… Drake… Yael… Hikari… Kurai… I'm sorry I let you guys… Keh… Why am I even apologizing? Saying sorry to a plate you broke won't fix it, so how could it fix a sentient being with the mental capacity to actually think and to have feelings? I'm so stupid but I don't know what else to say… I need to come visit you guys soon.'_

During the time that the mortals had been lost in thought, Light's mother had already left and Ryuk had eaten nearly the whole basket of apples. Akuryo just sighed and he had pulled his hood further over his face in sheer frustration. _'Idiots. Practically all Shinigami are idiots. The fact that they find themselves superior to reapers is so laughable that it's ridiculous. The superiority complex most have is beyond irritating. I'm often tempted to try to kill at least half of them. The average stress level of the reapers would probably go down by seventy-five percent.'_

Shi-Tenshi broke out of the trance she was in and gave Ryuk an odd look. He looked back at her, mouth full of the last apple. She raised an eyebrow as he finished it, core and all.

"What's with the look? Haven't you ever seen a Shinigami eat an apple?" he asked, not really thinking through his words.

Light rolled his eyes while Akuryo sighed and facepalmed. Shi-Tenshi made a shooting motion to her head in frustration, saying, "**No**, **I haven't, you imbecile! **I also haven't seen _**anything**_ eat an _**entire **_basket of them either!" She was careful not to shout though, seeming as Light's mother and sister, Sayu, were still at the house and would most likely question what she was yelling about. It's not like she could say she was yelling at a seemingly apple obsessed Shinigami. That wouldn't go very well and would most likely end up in her being deported back to America and straight into the asylum. Again. Being an exchange student has it's perks, but it also has some downsides. If only she was a politician, then she would have diplomatic immunity. Then again, she couldn't stand politicians and would hate to be one. Diplomatic immunity wasn't worth the hatred she'd receive from the citizens of her own country. No, she'd never take a government position except for the armed forces. The only problem with that is that she could never get in. She couldn't be off her anti-depressants and she isn't allowed in with medication for a pre-existing condition. Damn government and it's laws. It was the same for the law enforcement in America, they wouldn't let her in because of her depression. That's why she was over-joyed when Light's father allowed her to be an intern in the Japanese Police Force. She was even more thrilled when he said she was welcome as an officer when she graduated from high school. Sadly, she wouldn't be graduating with Light, for he skipped a grade and instead of being a junior like her, he was a senior. She sighed and nearly missed Ryuk's explanation.

"Hmmm… How to put it… Apples to me are like what drugs and alcohol are to humans."

Shi-Tenshi raised an eyebrow. "Addictive and illegal?" she asked, every word dripping like a Hanukkah candle with sarcasm.

Ryuk rolled his eyes while Akuryo snorted in amusement. Ryuk pouted slightly at him and answered, while leaning against the wall, "Addictive? Very. It's like a drug, right down to suffering from withdrawal symptoms if I stop eating them for a while. Illegal? They're so delicious and juicy that they should be but they're not."

The two humans and the reaper in the room slowly turned to give the feasting Shinigami a very odd look.

"Really? Are you serious?" Light asked bluntly.

Akuryo sighed and nodded. "Unfortunately, he is." He answered for Ryuk with a groan.

Ryuk pouted at them. "No need to be hateful, Akuryo."

Said reaper scoffed, "Plenty need when you're involved, Ryuk."

Ryuk turned his back to him with a "humph!" and sat in the darkest corner of the room.

Light looked at Akuryo and said, "You were right. He is just like a petulant child at times."

Akuryo sighed and nodded. "Sad but unfortunately true."

Shi had been deep in thought during this time but after Akuryo spoke, she looked up at him and asked something that had been bothering her since she first learned about him: "Why did you drop your Death Note in the human world?"

Akuryo looked over at her. He was silent for a few moments before responding. "I didn't drop it in the human world. It was taken as punishment and cast through a rift that linked the three worlds together: the Shinigami World, the Human World, and the Spiritual Realm. The Human World is simply where it happened to land."

Shi observed him curiously, wishing his hood wasn't shadowing his face so that she could better analyze his mood. She asked her next question very carefully, knowing there was a chance that he may respond violently. "What were you being punished for?"

Akuryo observed her back from beneath his hood while getting up from his position leaning against the desk. He began pacing slightly. "… I'd rather keep that to myself." He finally answered after a moment of silence.

Ryuk rolled his eyes and stood up from his emo corner. He cleared his voice to get the attention of the two mortals in the room, having decided to answer the question, despite Akuryo's desire for secrecy. He looked at Akuryo and smirked knowingly before looking back at the two humans. "You wish to know his crime? It's quite simple. He stopped a mortal from dying when he or she was supposed to by altering reality through his Death Note. He wrote in the scenario that he or she killed the one who was supposed to kill him or her, thus saving his or her life. This would've been quite alright under a different set of circumstances, however, all things considered, because he-" Ryuk was cut off by a scythe that came from nowhere swinging at his head. The one holding it was unsurprisingly the Reaper in discussion, Akuryo. Light jumped back in momentary fright while Shi-Tenshi rolled and fell off the bed in surprise, letting out a squeak as she went. Then, her whole body froze and she forgot how to breathe because of what she heard next.

"_**That is enough. Say another **_**word**, _**and**_ _**YOU WILL LOSE YOUR HEAD."**_

**To those of you who have continued reading past chapter one:**

**This is the second chapter I am uploading today and I'm doing this because I will not be able to post a chapter until very late tomorrow because I will lack wifi. Hopefully, I'll have more than one chapter to post when I get back but this is just a heads up so you won't be disappointed by the lack of a chapter tomorrow. I'm pretty sorry about that but I should have plenty of time to write, so I will try. Sorry, once again.**


	5. Kira

**Chapter 5: Kira**

Shi-Tenshi scrambled as far away from Akuryo as she could, as fast as she could. She was filled with a intense, horrific emotion that she had rarely ever felt before: Fear. She was overwhelmed by it, her eyes were filled with it, her body shaking in it, her mind confused and angry because of it. She hated this feeling. This feeling known as fear. It made her feel weak, insignificant, hopeless, and worst of all powerless. It reminded her of six months ago, before she came to Japan. Reminded her of that time with _her_.

'_No, don't think about that, don't think about her. I'll cry, I know I will because I always do. Damn it, why am I so weak? Why didn't I…?'_ She cut off her own thoughts, knowing she would cry if she continued that train of thought.

She could feel Akuryo's angry killing intent pulsate through the room when suddenly it all but disappeared. She looked up to see Akuryo looking down at her. What she saw confused her. From the angle she was at, she could easily see the unreadable expression he bore under his hood. All she could make out from the tempest of emotions on his face was a hint of shame. Why he was ashamed and what he was ashamed of, she had no speculations of.

"Tch…" Was the only noise he made as he made his scythe disappear. He walked over to a dark corner and slid down to a sitting position. "Don't give away secrets that are not yours, Ryuk. Especially not mine because I_** will**_ find a way to kill you." Venom dripped from every word he spoke and only a fool couldn't tell he was dead serious.

Ryuk looked at him in surprise before nodding silently, no longer willing to test the extremely temperamental and volatile Reaper. Shi sighed softly, glad that while the tense atmosphere was still there, the Reaper's killing intent was not, but flinched at the voice he used. Ryuk decided to dispel the atmosphere by asking Light why he only wrote a cause of death for the biker in the accident. As Light started to explain, Shi got a text. She pulled out her phone and flipped it open. The message read:

"_We're at your apartment, where the hell are you!"_

It was from her father. Shi-Tenshi looked at it with fury in her eyes. She texted back:

"_Clearly not there. The real question is why are you halfway around the world from where you're supposed to be, aka America?"_

She listened to Light speak of his fantasy while waiting for her father to answer back. She wasn't sure if Light's plan would work. She hoped it would, but she was unaware of whether it would or not. For Light's sake, she hoped he succeeded and she would help him achieve his goal in any way she could, within reason, that is. She wouldn't support any completely foolish ideas.

Her phone vibrated again. Her father was angry.

"_Don't get an attitude with me, young lady! We are here to see your national exam scores since you didn't send them. Because of that, we had to come all the way to this crap hole."_

Shi-Tenshi's eyes narrowed dangerously. _'He has the balls to…? Oh hell no!'_

"_I didn't send them to you because it'd be a waste of my time and money, you bastard. You wouldn't have cared what I got because it's never good enough for you. Nothing I do is and I've given up trying to prove myself to you. I give up, I quit. I'll never be the perfect child you wanted. Also, I'm sorry that Andres, your biggest failure, is what you consider to be your greatest success. You want to know what my score was? I got advanced in math and literature, and I got proficient in science. There, you know my scores, now you can go back to America."_

After sending that text, she turned off her phone. She looked up at Light and the two supernatural beings and blinked when she saw all three looking at her.

"What…?" she questioned slowly.

Light sighed while Ryuk raised an eyebrow. Akuryo is the only one who spoke. "Trouble in paradise, I assume?"

Shi snorted softly. "Dangerous assumption. It's false because that place is no paradise. It's a hell house."

Light sighed and hugged her. She sighed as well and hugged him back. "Don't start to be clingy, Light, or I may stab you." She tried to joke tiredly.

He rolled his eyes and pet her hair. "You know you always have a room here. All you have to do is ask." He said softly.

She sighed softly. Her reply was muffled in his chest. "I know, Light. You're an amazing friend." **(a/n: buried deep within the friend zone, mwahahaha)**

He chuckled softly and replied, "You are too. Not many people would help me clean out the prisons of the world and clean up the world itself."

She let go after a moment, looked up at him, and cursed her average height-ness, "Not many people would even try to fix this broken world. But then again, we aren't most people, now are we?" she inquired rhetorically.

Light laughed slightly and pushed her gently. "No, we're not, but you're acting weird so it's bed time for you."

Shi pouted, "But mooooooom! It's only midnight! Wanna stay up!"

Light gave her a _look_. "Bed. Now." He commanded.

Shi-Tenshi pouted more before sulking her way to her room. She tiredly changed into a white t-shirt and black track pants before flopping face first into her bed. Akuryo walked in after she was done changing and flicked the light off. However, by that time, Shi-Tenshi was already sleeping, evident by her soft breathing. He sighed at her and walked over to the bed where she lay on top of the blankets. He discretely pulled them out from under her and threw them over her. With that being said and done, he went over to a corner, and leaned into it, closing his eyes.

"Troublesome humans…"Was the only thing he said.

*In Light's room*

Light had just started changing when Ryuk opened his mouth.

"So, you two are together?" he asked curiously.

Light considered the notion so ridiculous that he laughed aloud. "You're kidding, right? We are deeply embedded in the friend zone. There is absolutely no escape and no chance for us to ever be "together". It's been that way from the beginning. I don't have time for a stable girlfriend. Yeah, I'll go on dates, but I don't have a girl friend. And then there's Shi-Tenshi, who built up a wall to block people out."

What he said definitely caught Ryuk's attention. "Really?" he inquired. "She built a wall to keep others at bay?"

Light's only response was a nod as he turned his lights out and flopped on his bed.

"Why?" Ryuk asked simply.

Light rolled over and faced him with a sigh. "You're not going to let me sleep until I tell you, are you?"

Ryuk grinned and shook his head. "Nope, so start talking, Light."

Light sighed and replied, "She's watched too many people she cared about die. That's all I'm going to say, so shut up."

Ryuk pondered this for a moment before shrugging. "For someone who thinks death is inevitable, that is most certainly ironic." He noted.

Light let out a deep sigh before turning away from him. "It's because most them were murdered. Now shut up." He retorted, closing his eyes.

"Nyehhh." Was Ryuk's response. However, he was indeed quiet afterwards.

'_Murdered, huh? Interesting… I wonder if Akuryo knows… Meh, probably, knowing him.'_ Ryuk mused, sitting against a wall, closing his eyes. _'Humans sure are interesting. I doubt I'll regret this.'_

_*You never regret anything, Ryuk.*_ Ryuk could hear Akuryo's voice in his head. He rolled his eyes. _*There are some things that I regret. However, something has been bugging me all night…*_ Ryuk started.

_*Hn?*_ was Akuryo's only indication he heard the Shinigami.

_*If you want your Death Note back so much, why don't you just rip the girl's soul out and absorb it? You'd get your Death Note back and you wouldn't have to deal with her, win-win, right?*_ Ryuk questioned curiously.

Akuryo was silent for a moment before responding. _*I have yet to find such extreme measures necessary. Should I, however, I will do so without hesitation.*_

Ryuk mentally snickered. _*If you say so, Akuryo.*_

_*I do so shut up. I'm trying to sleep.*_

Ryuk raised an eyebrow at him mentally. _*What're you talking about? You don't need sleep, you're dead!*_

_*I know. Which is why I said 'I'm trying to sleep' and not 'I need to sleep'. Foolish imbecile. Try using the brain you pretend to have for once.*_

Ryuk decided to ignore him at this time and closed his eyes to go to sleep. _'This is most certainly interesting.'_

*******************TIME SKIP TO AFTER SCHOOL: LIGHT'S HOUSE*********************

Shi-Tenshi was surfing the web when she came across a certain website. She grinned at the content. "Oh Light~! Come look at _this_!" She called out, moving so he could look at the computer screen.

He walked over and kneeled next to her. "Hm…?" he asked.

She showed him the Legend of Kira the Savior website. "It would seem websites like this are popping up everywhere lately." She told him.

He grinned as well. Ryuk looked over. "The Legend of Kira the Savior. Sounds pretty cool. Is it about you two?"

Akuryo rolled his eyes. "Sounds ridiculous." He remarked.

Shi-Tenshi just sighed at him. Light smirked. "I think they've taken the name Kira from the English word "killer"."

Shi smirked. Light looked at her. "What…?" he asked curiously.

She snickered and shook her head. "Oh its nothing… Except for the fact that Kira is a girl's name."

He sighed. "I'm not too happy about that, but it looks like it's the name they've decided to give me."

Akuryo smirked and replied, "Well, you are quite feminine."

Light twitched. "I meant the fact that it comes from the word "killer"." He clarified.

Shi-Tenshi laughed. "Oh, I'm sure that's what you meant, Light. I'm sure it's not because you're unsure whether or not you were born the wrong gender."

Light scoffed and rolled his eyes. "Oh haha, you're so funny I could die laughing." He replied sarcastically.

She snorted and retorted, "I'll go dig you a grave."

"Well that's sweet." Ryuk commented.

"I find the idea rather amusing." Akuryo put his two cents in boredly.

Shi gave him a look and asked, "If it amused you, then why do you sound so utterly bored?"

He snorted and replied simply, "It's how I always sound."

She snorted and asked sassily, "Except when you're throwing a little hissy fit, right?"

Akuryo let out a low growl, causing her eyes to widen slightly. Ryuk sighed and said to Akuryo, "No need to get all pissy, Akuryo. She's just being her usual bitchy self. The day that she starts being nice is the first day of the Apocalypse."

Akuryo snorted and muttered, "Whatever" Shi-Tenshi snickered and flopped on Light's bed with a soft sigh. Light sighed and threw a pen at her face. She snatched the projectile out of the air with ease, and raised a questioning eyebrow at him. Light sighed and answered her unasked question, "You could always help me clear out the world's prisons with your Death Note. It's not like you have anything else planned."

She observed him carefully before shrugging, "Good point. I really don't have anything better to do. It's kinda sad if you think about it. Huh…"

Light sighed again and remarked, "You really need to get out more. Go on dates, and stuff like that!"

She snorted, and bluntly replied, "You seem to have forgotten that while you are the most popular guy in school, people avoid _me_ like the plague. It's easy for you to say that but every girl in school but me wants in your pants. I, on the other hand, am the crazy, emo Goth chick that everyone avoids in fear of being cursed or sacrificed on some kind of pagan alter. I don't exactly attract guys like a carcass does flies."

Her response silenced Light. He sighed softly and resumed writing names in his Death Note. Shi-Tenshi looked away and pulled her Death Note out of her bag and flipped it open. She pulled out her laptop and opened a PowerPoint of criminals that she made to save time as well as to avoid writing the same names as Light. She hit the button to start the presentation and started writing names. No more than ten minutes after she started writing names down did the TV flash to the ICPO station. When she notice, she looked up curiously.

"What's this?" she wondered aloud.

Akuryo and the other two boys also redirected their attention to the screen.

"I wonder that as well." Light remarked.

"I'm not quite sure what's going on." Ryuk commented.

Akuryo scoffed. "Maybe if you fools would shut up and listen, there's a little, tiny chance that we may find out what's happening. It's slim, microscopical, but it's still there so shut the hell up, I want to know what's going on. "he said sarcastically, ending in an evil hiss.

Shi's eyes widened slightly in surprise at the unexpected venom in his voice but she should be used to it by now. She got up from her position laying on her stomach, propped up on her elbows on Light's bed. She then focused on the TV where some guy named Lind L. Taylor was talking about the murders and Kira. She watched it amused until his next statement. "Kira, what you're doing is evil."

Shi's eyes snapped over to Light to see his reaction to that and noted with interest that the two beings of death also did that. Light just stood there, staring in shock at the television. After a short moment or two, he started ranting about how he was justice. When he was finished, he sat at his desk and flipped his Death Note open. He started writing L's name down with a rather insane grin. (**A/N: you can't deny he seems insane at times)**

Shi noticed what he was doing and warned him, "Don't do it, Light. This is most likely a trap."

He ignored her for a moment but when he finished writing the name, he replied simply, "The best way to deactivate a trap is to spring it."

"Is the best way to dispose of a bomb is to detonate it?" she retorted.

Light blinked, not quite knowing what to say to that. Their attention was then once again redirected to the TV as Taylor had his heart attack. Light let out some maniacal laughter while Shi-Tenshi stared at the screen, trying to put the pieces of the puzzle together. "Akuryo…" she said softly.

The Reaper directed his attention at the girl and replied, "Yes?"

She looked over at him, ungluing her eyes from the TV.

"Something's wrong. There's something completely wrong with this situation." she told him. "I just don't know what."

Akuryo smirked and replied, "Oh, so you noticed. Do tell what you think it is."

She sighed before answering. "I've heard of this L person and I _know_ that he's never shown his face before nor has he ever revealed his true name. So why do so to an unknown enemy that you don't know how he or she kills? It's foolish and dangerous and L is supposed to be a genius. He's way too smart to reveal himself like this."

Light turned to look at her, taking a break from his gloating. "You don't think that was the real L?" he asked in disbelief.

"It's highly unlikely." Was all she could say before the TV changed screens once again.

A new voice started speaking, one obviously altered through technology. After expressing his disbelief, the voice revealed, "I am L. The man you just killed on television was not me."

"What?!" Light asked in disbelief.

Shi-Tenshi sighed and muttered, "I knew something was off. If Taylor wasn't L, then who was he really?" she mused out loud.

L, whoever he was, answered her question for her. "Lind L. Taylor was a criminal arrested and convicted by the police in secret. No news or information of his arrest was made public. So it seems you have sources to get your information."

Light twitched violently as L continued spouting his deductions.

Ryuk snickered, Akuryo rolled his eyes and Shi just sighed.

"He got us and he got us good. What do you intend to do, Light?" Shi inquired.

Light growled and declared angrily, "I will hunt him down. That's what I'm going to do. I'm going to hunt him down and end him! I am justice!"

Shi-Tenshi smirked and replied, "Sounds fun, let's do it."

Ryuk grinned and commented, "Humans are so interesting."

Akuryo chuckled darkly. "This will be amusing. Very amusing indeed. I'm very curious to see who will die."

Shi's smirk widened. "Let the hunt begin."


	6. Dreams of a Day Long Gone

**Ch 6. Dreams of a Day Long Gone**

Light looked over to the clock and saw it read ten thirty. He yawned softly and said tiredly, "Tomorrow. The hunt starts tomorrow."  
Ryuk laughed while Akuryo snorted and Shi-Tenshi simply nodded in silent agreement.  
" I agree." She said softly, earning herself an odd look from Light. She wasn't surprised by this though. She received this look because she was known to be rather nocturnal and it was simply unheard of for her to go to bed so early. Early for her, that is. She just shook her head at Light, unwilling to reveal the small detail that she hadn't been sleeping well, sometimes not at all, recently, and stood up from her spot on her bed.  
" Goodnight, Light." She said softly, grabbing her backpack.  
Light sighed. "Stay here tonight." He ordered softly.  
She raised an ebony eyebrow at him.  
" I don't feel comfortable with you walking home so late. There are plenty of scumbags out there and you're obviously tired, making you a tempting target." He explained.  
She snorted softly and replied, "If that's what they think then they're in for a rude awakening. Besides, I'm always tired, Light, dear. It's something I'm used to."  
He sighed and insisted, "I know but still. Just stay here tonight. Please? I'd feel better if you did. Otherwise, I'll worry about you all night."  
He hit a weak point. She sighed as well and gave in. "Alright, Light. If it'll put your mind at ease, I'll stay."  
He smiled softly. "Thank you. Your room is already prepared for you. It always is." He informed her.  
She sighed softly before smiling slightly. "Thank you." She said softly.  
That being said, she went to her room and dropped her book bag by the door. She let out a big yawn and jumped slightly at the sudden, unexpected voice behind her.  
" Why didn't you tell him?" Akuryo asked curiously.  
" Tell him what?" She asked tiredly, despite having a good idea of what he was talking about.  
He twitched slightly before pinning her to the wall. She let out a startled yelp and her eyes widened in surprise. She hadn't known he was so fast. All she had seen was a black blur. She tried to move away from the wall but Akuryo kept her firmly pinned in place with a crossed arm on either side. He leaned up close, so close that she could somewhat see his face under his hood.  
" You know exactly what." He said in a dangerous hiss.  
She flinched slightly at the venom in his voice and sighed. "I don't want him to worry about me. I hate when people worry about me. It makes me feel horrible because in my eyes it's a waste of time because they have more important things to worry about than me. People don't seem to understand that. Boo hoo, poor little me can't sleep. They're acting like it's not a problem I've had my whole life and therefore I'm not used to being tired. I've had insomnia since I was five or six so trust me, I'm used to it by now."  
Akuryo studied her for a moment and knew she was telling the truth. He spoke his next words calmly but there was a dangerous undertone that had she not been used to it by now, she wouldn't have recognized it. What he said did surprise her though.  
" I'm aware you have problems sleeping. I know you've had them since you were seven. I'm also aware that you've taken many different medicines your entire life and none have worked. I know of the night terror you had when you were young and I'm also not ignorant of the nightmares that plague your mind almost every time you slumber. I know that you toss and you turn and that you rarely sleep through the whole night. I also know that you're almost always more tired when you wake up than you were before you fell asleep. So trust me, I know all about your "little" problem."  
She stared at him in complete shock. She had no idea that he knew about all of that but she had a feeling he didn't learn about it from her aunt. She could only wonder how but it wouldn't hurt to ask, even if she already knew he wouldn't answer. "How'd you know about all that?" She asked in bewilderment.  
" I'm not going to tell you that. Such information is not relevant at this point in time." He evaded the question emotionlessly and backed away, letting her off the wall.  
His answer drew out a tired sigh from the girl.  
" Whatever..." She muttered tiredly and flopped on her bed, now wearing a black T-shirt and black track pants, a drastic difference from her usual professional suit.  
Akuryo snorted softly in amusement and leaned against the wall by the head of her bed. Shi sighed softly and burrowed under her covers. She closed her eyes and attempted to achieve the blissful relief known as slumber.  
Akuryo watched her for a moment before looking away, whatever expression he was currently wearing was hidden under his hood. He crossed his arms and folded up his wings as well as making them disappear. He slid down to a sitting position and leaned his hooded head against the wall. He crossed his arms tighter and closed his eyes.  
" Hey, Akuryo..." Shi sleepily mumbled.  
He cracked open an eye with a sigh. "What do you want? I thought you were trying to go to sleep?" He asked, trying to sound as irritated as possible.  
If she noticed the irritation in his voice, she didn't acknowledge it. "You were human once, right?" She asked tiredly.  
He blinked in surprise at the unexpected question.  
_' Hm. Very few people ever catch that. Most people don't ever think about that. Then again, she isn't most people._' He thought to himself, slightly amused.  
" Akuryo...? You still there...?" She asked, question muffled slightly by her nest of blankets and pillows.  
He blinked, realizing she was still waiting for an answer. He sighed and confirmed it. "Yes, I was once human but that was a very long time ago if you looked through a human's eyes. A century is a heartbeat to a Reaper though."  
" Is it possible to become human again?" She asked sleepily.  
" No. It's impossible to become human again because although Reapers are very powerful wraiths, we're dead and we can't just come back to life. We can never go back to the ways we were. If a Reaper dies, it's over. He or she would cease to exist because the only way to kill a Reaper is to literally destroy its soul. If you don't have a soul, you can't go anywhere. Heaven. Hell. Limbo. You can't go to any if those because when you die, all that's left of you that's actually relevant is your soul. You disappear without it."  
She was silent for a moment, digesting all that she had just learned. Shortly later she inquired, "What'd you look like when you were a human?"  
He chuckled deeply before saying, "I may let you see my human form sometime but it depends."  
" On what?" Was her sleepy question.  
" On how much you irritate me until then."  
This answer brought forth a barrage of sleepy, whinny, protesting noises. He just chuckled.  
" Cute. Go to sleep, brat. You need it." He ordered in a tone that implied that arguing will result in painful consequences.  
She grumbled sleepily but he could hear a "fine" thrown in the mix as well as a few colorful names she called him that he just snorted softly at in amusement.  
He closed his eyes and listened to her breathing until he was sure she was asleep. Once he was certain that she was deep asleep did he allow himself to slip into the abyss as well.  
**********in Light's room***********  
Ryuk was looking at Light amused as he pulled his shirt off and stretched, flexing slightly.** (A/n: it's ok to drool girls. You wouldn't be the only one doing it)  
**Light, finally sick of his staring, turned to the Shinigami and snapped, "What is so amusing and why're you watching me like that?"  
Ryuk snickered for a moment before answering, not at all fazed by the boy's glare. "You seem to care about Shi-Tenshi a great deal." He noted casually.  
Light scoffed. "That's what you find so amusing? Of course I care about her, she's like my sister." He answered rather irritated.  
Ryuk grinned and Light instantly knew there was about to be trouble and that Ryuk was about to be grounded from apples. "What...?" He asked warily, not quite sure where this was going, only knowing he wouldn't like it.  
" Are you sure she's like a sister? She seems more like a potential mate. That's how you seem to treat her but I may be wrong and that's just how humans treat each other normally, hmmm?"  
This made Light choke on air. He gave Ryuk an incredulous look. "**Are you kidding me?!** That's ridiculous! If she heard you say that, she would find a way to kill you or die trying." He responded, looking at Ryuk like he was the biggest idiot in the world.  
Ryuk rolled his eyes at the look and said, "Well then. I must say that is quite the surprise because of how close you two seem. Are you sure you're not more than just friends?"  
It was Light's turn to roll his eyes. He retorted with, "Actually, we are more than just friends. Shi's become part of the family. She has been for a little while now. With that being said, even if we hadn't all but adopted her, I don't think I could ever see her in a romantic light. We're buried neck-deep in the friend zone. To me, she'll always be the chaotic little sister that most people don't appreciate yet don't know what they'd do without her wreaking havoc."  
Ryuk studied him for a moment before shrugging. "I was just curious because you two act so weird with each other."  
" Weird compared to who?" Light asked, genuinely curious.  
" Everyone else." Was Ryuk's simple answer.  
Light looked at him blankly before letting out a short laugh. "Ohh. So that's it. Of course we do. I treat Shi-Tenshi like she's an actual human being and not a freak of nature that needs to be sent to a lab and in return, she treats me like a normal person and not like I'm some kind of sex god."  
Ryuk snorted at the way he phrased the last part. Light's response was simply rolling his eyes at the eccentric Shinigami before flopping face first into his bed after turning his light off.  
" Sweet dreams, Light." Ryuk said, mockingly sweet.  
" Shut up and let me sleep, Ryuk. You better sleep too. It's the only time that you ever shut up."  
Ryuk snickered and replied sarcastically, "Yes, your royal highness. As you wish."  
Light rolled his eyes while Ryuk flopped down on the floor beside the bed.  
" So you have no romantic interest in her?" Ryuk asked with a Cheshire grin.  
Light's only response was a low growl and throwing a frozen water bottle at his head, the latter of which the Shinigami was quick to avoid.  
Ryuk snickered before laying down. "Night~." He sang.  
Light groaned. "Never use that voice again and SHUT UP."  
Ryuk grinned but didn't say anything else. He crossed his arms behind his head and stared up at the ceiling. Light rolled on his side, facing away from the Shinigami. He had one arm serving as a pillow while the other laid limp at his side. He didn't close his eyes until he was sure Ryuk wasn't going to randomly resume talking. Then, and only then, did he surrender himself and fall into the waiting arms of slumber.  
**** Shi-Tenshi's Dream****  
Shi looked out over a street in San Diego in confusion. She fell asleep in Japan, how'd she end up back in America? Then she heard it. The very familiar sounds of skateboard wheels on a concrete sidewalk. Her eyes widened in horror as she realized exactly what was going on. She watched her younger self riding her favorite board. She closed her eyes but this made reliving the experience worse. She felt herself get sucked into her younger self's body and whimpered softly, knowing exactly what was yet to come.  
The only thing that Shi-Tenshi could hear well was the wind blowing at her face and the rasp of skateboard wheels on concrete as she and her twin sister, Ashlynn, or Ashe for short, rode their boards down the sidewalk in San Diego, California. They were on their way to the skateboard shop that they both worked at. It got surprisingly good business but then again, California was skater paradise so it really wasn't that surprising for long term residents. Their job was to fix and assemble any and all boards and it was their job alone.  
" Hey Shi." Ashe called.  
" Yeah sis?" Shi replied to the red haired girl behind her. At this point of time, Shi too had dark red hair and it was much longer as well, reaching all the way down to her waist in a wave of crimson strands.  
" I'll race you there." Ashe challenged with a smirk.  
Shi's eyes narrowed. "Is that a challenge?" She asked, eyes flashing dangerously.  
Ashe's smirk widened. "Perhaps, what brings this up?" She asked sassily.  
" I don't back down from challenges and you said that in a very challenging tone." She replied simply.  
Ashe grinned. "Well then. If you don't back down from challenges, then it looks like we're racing." That's the only warning she gave before shooting ahead of her twin.  
" Hey!" Shi called, chasing after her rambunctious sister. "That's completely cheating!" She yelled at her.  
The only response Ashe gave was psychotic laughter. Shi rode after her, catching up quickly and passed her, ruffling her hair as she did so.  
" Hey! Don't screw up the hair!" Ashe growled at the pet peeve they both shared, no longer in the lead. She kicked off hard to catch up to the smirking twin who was now ahead of her.  
Shi just laughed at her and kept going. "Catch me if you can~!" She taunted.  
" Oh I will! Just you wait!" Ashe declared, slightly out of breath. She rode faster, trying to catch up to Shi.  
" That's what they all say~" she sang, laughing slightly the whole while.  
She did, however, notice that Ashe was breathing rather heavy. She slowed down to let Ashe catch up and the younger girl, taking the hint, rode beside Shi, and no longer attempted to pass her.  
" Well that was fun." Ashe stated simply.  
Shi smiled at her twin and replied, "Yes, yes it was. You're breathing pretty heavy though. Are you ok?" She asked worriedly.  
Ashe rolled her eyes with a small smile and assured her overprotective sister, "I'm fine. I just need to catch my breath."  
Shi nodded worried but asked, "Are you sure?"  
Ashe sighed softly and nodded. "Don't worry, sis. I'm fine but can we walk for a bit so I can catch my breath?" She requested after insisting once again that she was fine.  
Shi nodded again and got off her board and kicked it up to carry it. Ashe, of course, followed her example.  
" Of course we can," Shi stated. "Anything for you, Ashe." She continued with a smile.  
Ashe wrapped an arm around her older twin's shoulder and kissed her on the temple, an action known as "The Skater Kiss" in California and said, "Love you, sis."  
Shi smiled more and replied with, "Love you too, Ashe. Forever and always."  
-the scene suddenly changes-  
Ashe was being held in a headlock with a gun pointed at her head by a filthy, vile looking man who, if one could miraculously see past the grime, appeared to be in his late thirties or early forties.  
" Give me all your money or she dies!" He jeered, his disgusting yellow and brown teeth visible despite the poor lighting in the otherwise empty alley.  
Shi nodded quickly and tossed him her wallet. He looked through it with the hand holding the gun. She watched him warily as his features twisted into a scowl of displeasure.  
" That's it?" He grumbled, obviously displeased. He sighed and shrugged. "Oh well." Was all be said before putting the gun back where he had it and pulled the trigger.  
The older Shi-Tenshi wanted nothing more than to be able to look away as Ashe fell limp. The younger one's eyes widened in horror and her expression turned into one of utter despair.  
" _**ASHE!**_" She all but screamed.  
The creature that couldn't even be called a man laughed psychotically, the difference between its laugh and the twins' laugh is that the thing's insanity could be heard clearly in it. It dropped Ashe and she almost hit the ground but Shi-Tenshi lunged forward and caught her just in time. **"You... You god damn **_**SON OF A BITCH**_**!**" She started off quietly but ended up screaming.  
It laughed crazily, brandishing its gun while doing so.  
" Maybe if you had more she wouldn't have died!" It jeered before laughing more, the god awful noise making her cringe.  
Once its laughter finally subsided, it pointed its gun at her as well. "Don't worry," it sneered. "I'll send you to join her!" It laughed even more and waved it's gun around. That was the last mistake that creature would ever make.  
Shi-Tenshi took advantage of the opening and put Ashe down slowly. She then knocked over a trash can and kicked it at its legs while it was distracted.  
" Huh...?" Was the only thing it managed to get out before being knocked over easily, causing the gun to go flying.  
Shi lunged for it and grabbed it before it could and rolled to her feet and turned and shot it in the chest until there were no bullets left in the magazine. When it was empty, she dropped it, trembling violently, and went back to where she left her precious little sister. She ignored the people who were running in that direction because they heard the gun shots and cradled Ashe's upper half in her lap and sobbed into her soft, silky hair.  
She could hear people talking to her but she couldn't really make out what they were saying. It probably wasn't anything important, they were probably just asking if she were ok but she couldn't really care less if she were ok or not at the moment. Besides, did she fucking look ok? No, she didn't think so. The only thing she cared about at the moment was that her Ashe was gone. She was gone and she wasn't coming back. She could feel her heart slowly crack before shattering like glass. Her eyes slowly started to glaze over and she faintly heard someone yell, "Hurry, she's going into shock!" She could also barely make out police sirens in the distance.  
She finally snapped and let out a loud scream before sobbing harder into Ashe's hair. Ashe, who was gone. Ashe, who was the last one out of the very few who ever really cared. Ashe, who was the better half of her. Ashe, who was her world and everything in it. And she was gone now.  
**in Shi's room in the waking world **  
It wasn't the tossing and turning that brought Akuryo to Shi-Tenshi's bedside, for it was a normal occurrence for the insomniac teen. It was the soft, faint, inaudible to humans, whimpering that drew his attention to the sleeping girl. His head snapped over to her bed at the sound and noted that she was unnaturally still at the moment. His eyes narrowed. She was never this still when she slept unless she was utterly exhausted and he knew she wasn't quite to that point yet. Her stillness unnerved him. It looked as if she was dead. He got up and sat on her bed beside her. He was relieved to see that she was still alive. He could tell by the way that her eyes were moving around rapidly that she was dreaming. He only had a faint idea of what her dream was but he knew it was probably the only thing unpleasant enough to draw forth this reaction from the normally one part brave, three parts fool girl. He had never heard the girl _whimper_ before except for maybe once and he had firmly held onto the belief that she was incapable of producing such a sound. It seems he was wrong. He slowly started to pet her hair and the action seemed to soothe her at least a little bit. Little did he know though, was that this slight relief would not last very long at all.  
*****back to the nightmare******  
Shi-Tenshi's sobs had reduced to soft whimpers by the time the police and the ambulance got there. The police went to the carcass of the abomination while the medics came over to her and Ashe. They whispered things that she couldn't understand in her traumatized state. She could feel someone carefully drape a shock blanket around her shoulders but she didn't pay them any mind. The only thing she could focus on was Ashe, slowly but surely, growing cold in her arms. One of the medics tried to pull Ashe away from her but there was no way in hell that she would let that happen.  
" NO!" She shrieked and kept a death grip on Ashe, blatantly refusing to let go, to let anyone take her sister from her.  
It took a team of five police officers, all male, to pry the flailing girl away from the body. She was kicking, punching, biting and screaming the whole way. She knew she was outmatched but she refused to make it easy for them. Those officers would all have a nice collection of bruises by the next morning. It took all five of them to pick up and pull the frantic sixteen year old away from the body and onto a stretcher waiting for her in the ambulance. The medics, however, seemed to have enough of a brain to put Ashe's body on the stretcher next to her.  
" Ashe..." Shi whispered, weak and tearfully, and reached for her. The last thing she saw was Ashe's peaceful expression before her world and mind faded to black. Her heart couldn't turn because there was nothing left of it except maybe a few shattered pieces here and there. It died with her sister.  
*****Shi's bedroom****  
Akuryo had continued petting her hair and it seemed to calm her down when she unexpectedly started thrashing, successfully knocking the unprepared Reaper off the bed. He hadn't been expecting such a violent change and it caught him completely off guard. He quickly climbed back into the thrashing girl's bed and tried to shake her awake. When he failed to wake her, the desperate Reaper pulled her gently into his arms and lap and started rocking the obviously distressed girl soothingly. He completely disregarded the fact that she was still hitting and kicking, doing so hard, and simply focused on trying to calm the flailing teen down.  
He continued to do this, ignoring the blows he received, until her flailing slowed down and then abruptly stopped. This caused him to blink in surprise, seeming as it was completely unexpected. The whimpering returned but he let out a small, silent, secret sigh of relief when she opened her eyes. This relief soon vanished, however, when she started frantically looking around the room, clearly not recognizing where she was. He could easily feel her pounding heart against his chest and feel, as well as hear, her erratic breathing against his neck. He slowly started petting her hair, causing her head to snap up at him, clearly just now realizing he was there. He could tell from her expression that she was slowly realizing that she wasn't dreaming anymore.  
Shi couldn't stop herself from burying her face in his shoulder and started sobbing softly, soaking his cloak with tears. He didn't mind, however, and simply resumed petting her hair and started murmuring soft words of comfort in her ear.  
After what seemed like a life span of them sitting there like that, Shi-Tenshi's crying slowly died down to soft whimpers while her trembling eventually ceased completely. Despite her being in a state that somewhat resembled being calm, Akuryo continued to run his fingers through her hair comfortingly as well as rock her in his lap.  
She eventually slowly looked up at him before looking away, shamefully. "I'm sorry I wasted your time and waking you up and being such a bother..." She mumbled guiltily.  
Akuryo shook his head and replied softly. "Don't worry about it. You're not a bother and you didn't waste my time. You also didn't wake me, I was already awake. More importantly, are you alright now?" He was unable to keep the worry out of his voice.  
She contemplated the question for a moment before shaking her head and answering honestly, "No, I'm not alright. I haven't been alright for the past six months. It's just some days are better than others. Compared to my good days, I'm most certainly not ok right now. Don't worry though. I can take it. I've been handling it alone for the past half of a year now."  
Akuryo sighed quietly and just nodded. "If you say so..." He said, giving into defeat for now. He wasn't willing to argue with the obviously distraught teen.  
She was quiet for a moment before giving her usual answer to that statement, a simple but this time quiet, "I do."  
He sighed again and slowly started to unwrap his arms from around her when she grabbed the front of his cloak in a death grip. He gave her a questioning look, fully aware that she could see his face from her angle and position in his lap.  
" Don't... Please stay..." She whispered, on the verge of begging.  
Akuryo blinked in surprise, never expecting to hear such a request or voice from the normally sassy teenager. Never the less, he nodded his consent and simply said 'alright'. With that being done and agreed to, he slowly laid down, still holding Shi securely in his arms and brought her down with him. She snuggles closer into his chest and tucked her head under his chin, not loosening the death grip she had on his cloak for even a second. Akuryo wrapped one arm around her waist and held her head to his chest. His wings also came out and wrapped around the still distressed girl like a warm blanket.  
" Thank you for doing this..." She mumbled quietly.  
" It's not a problem." He replied. "Go back to sleep." He ordered softly.  
This earned him a whimper in response. He sighed softly. "I don't need sleep. If I see you start to dream, I'll wake you as soon as I can. I promise you." He reassured her softly.  
She was silent for a moment before murmuring a soft thank you. She closed her eyes and buried her face in his chest. He could feel her heart beat return to normal and then slow down more, signifying that she was now asleep but he listened for her breath in to soften and even out, just to make sure. Once he knew she was now sleeping peacefully, he kissed her head and murmured seven words in her ear that she wouldn't be aware of until later. Only the first two words would have been audible to a human's ears: I'm sorry.


	7. Confusion

**Chapter 7: Confusion**

Akuryo was humming softly as he watched the young, teenage girl in his arms sleep peacefully for what had to be the first time since Ashlynn died. He sighed softly in her hair before slowly detangling their limbs from each other, being careful not to wake the girl up. She needed as much sleep as she could get. However, he had no intention to be present when the girl woke up. Better that she thinks she just imagined everything that happened last night. It'd probably be better for her health if she didn't remember last night at all but he knew that she'd most likely have some fragmented memories of what had occurred. Best that she thinks it was all another dream. He slowly sat up and pulled away from the sleeping girl, earning himself whinny noises of displeasure from the said girl. He had to resist the urge to snort softly in amusement or roll his eyes. He stood up slowly and quietly so as not to wake her. Once up and mostly out of range of the cuddly teen, he pulled the blanket over her and watched her snuggle into the sheets. He turned and looked out the window from his spot by the bed when he finally noticed a familiar presence in the air. He couldn't place it however as his eyes narrowed and he growled lowly. How could he not have noticed sooner?! There had been another Reaper here and he or she saw the whole thing and he hadn't even realized it until it was too late. He swore softly in a dark language that even few Reapers dare utter the words of._ 'Someone. Saw. Damn it! This may prove difficult to explain to Kuroyami. She doesn't allow the rules to bend as much as her elder sister, Yashina Sama did. This will prove problematic if whoever it was is going to tell her. Then again, that information would also serve as excellent blackmail. Damn it, I just put her in so much damn danger!'_ Akuryo was fuming. He let out a frustrated sigh._ 'Damn it, now I HAVE to stay with her to make sure nothing happens to her. Shit. This isn't working out the way I planned at all!'_ He growled, audible to his ears but not loud enough to wake up Shi-Tenshi  
He sighed once more and laid back down on Shi's bed. She latched onto him almost the second he was down. She wrapped her arms tightly around his chest and snuggled closer to him. He smiled slightly and wrapped his arms around her, one around her waist, and the other around her upper back. The one around her back also held her head to his chest. He sighed softly and took his hood off, revealing a head full of spiky, dark purple, almost black hair. He nuzzled her hair slightly and pulled her closer.  
She shifted in her sleep and stirred slightly but didn't wake. She simply snuggled closer and got more comfortable, pressed up closely against his chest. She sighed contently and nuzzled his chest in her sleep.  
He looked down at her through half lidded eyes. He ran his fingers through her hair while his hold on her waist tightened.  
She sighed softly and started humming softly, the sound somewhat resembling that of a cat purring.  
He chuckled softly at the noise and continued running his fingers through her hair. This resulted in a louder purring sound. He smirked slightly and noted, without a shortage of amusement, that she seemed to greatly enjoy having her hair played with.  
Ryuk walked in the room and immediately adopted a 'wth?' expression.  
" Uhhhh... Am I missing something here?" He asked rather loudly, causing Shi to stir slightly but didn't quite wake up.  
Akuryo flipped his hood back on and gave him a very dirty look.  
" I swear that if you wake her up by being loud or through any other means, I will rip off the limb that made such actions possible, do you understand?" Akuryo hissed dangerously.  
Ryuk's eyes widened slightly, not having expected such a violent reaction to such a thing from Akuryo, especially regarding that girl in particular who seemed to be a natural at pissing him off.  
" Someone is grumpy this morning. Don't tell me you had a visit from one of your friends." Ryuk commented, being careful to keep his voice down as to not disturb the sleeping insomniac.  
Akuryo snorted softly in slight amusement.  
Ryuk gave him a questioning look. "What's so funny?" He asked cautiously.  
Akuryo tore his attention from Shi and looked up at the Shinigami. "There are some Reapers, like myself, that don't have friends. We only have the next closest thing."  
Ryuk raised an eyebrow. "Oh? And what would that be?" He inquired.  
" Enemies." Was the Reaper's blunt answer.  
Ryuk smirked slightly. "So you don't have sources, acquaintances, coworkers, team mates, ect?" He asked cockily.  
Akuryo snorted and replied, "Of course some Reapers have those but not all Reapers have ALL of them. Those like me prefer to work alone so we don't have teammates or coworkers. We do have sources and acquaintances though but typically not many but they have a wide variety of services they can offer so we don't need as many and we don't have to be around as many people."  
Ryuk gave him an odd, pouting, displeased look before asking, genuinely curious, "So if an enemy of yours didn't show up here, why're you so pissy so early in the morning?"  
Akuryo sighed in frustration. "Well for one it's too early to be awake. Why do you think? I'm in an extremely foul mood because someone did show up, they saw this," he gestured to himself and Shi, "I have no idea what he or she is going to do with that information and the biggest problem is that I don't have the slightest clue who it is. Well, no, actually the biggest problem is that I need to be with her constantly now to make sure she stays safe."  
Ryuk gave him a rather confused look. "Why bother protecting her? It's not like-" his eyes widened in realization. "Wait... Don't tell me that your Death Note was confiscated for **that**?" He asked in disbelief.  
Akuryo sighed and nodded.  
" Her?" Ryuk asked, simply unable to believe what he was hearing.  
Akuryo sighed once again. "Yes, her."  
Ryuk simply stared at the Reaper in disbelief. Akuryo twitched slightly at the look.  
" Wow... Out of all the reasons for a Reaper to lose his or her Death Note, **you** lost **yours** for **THAT ONE?! I thought that was just a **_**rumor!**_" Ryuk asked, mind unable to comprehend and believe that such a thing was true.  
Akuryo growled. "Yes, I did. Get over it and shut up or I'll rip your tongue out _**before**_ you can manage to wake her up."  
Ryuk's eyes widened and his mouth snapped shut. He was unwilling to see how far he could push the Reaper when he was already in a foul mood.  
" Good Shinigami." Akuryo said curtly, mockingly.  
Ryuk rolled his eyes and stuck his tongue out.  
Akuryo's eyes narrowed. "Do it again, Ryuk. Do it again and see what happens." Akuryo dared him in a dark voice.  
Ryuk shook his head and replied with faux innocence, "Hmmm, no... I'd rather not. There's no telling what sorts of things you'd do with my tongue."  
Akuryo bore a look of utter disgust under his hood. "That is nothing short of repulsive. The very notion itself can only be described with few words like such although vile and disgusting do work quite well too but it's just not quite the same." He spat out between grit teeth.  
Ryuk shrugged and responded with, "This is why Shinigami and Reapers don't get along. Reapers have those sticks shoved so far up their asses that they think they are their spines."  
" Oh yes, and it has nothing to do with the fact that Shinigami are completely lazy and have no pride nor dignity." Akuryo retorted venomously.  
A soft, frustrated, tired sigh came from the girl wrapped up in the Reaper's arms. Both the Reaper and Shinigami turned and focused their attention on her instead of each other. It more or less ended the argument before it got violently out of hand and actually violent.  
Shi-Tenshi let out a yawn and chided them both without opening her eyes, completely ignorant of where she was laying. "How hard is it to accept the fact that no race or species is perfect nor superior to another? All of them have their faults. All of them have flaws. That's simply how it is. It's not something that can be changed if you try hard enough. It just **is** and there's no way to make it any different from the way it is. So both of you hush, I'm tired and trying to sleep." Her lecture was muffled slightly by Akuryo's chest.  
With that being said, she snuggled closer to the source of warmth that was Akuryo. She was still half asleep and wanted nothing more than to just envelop herself in the warmth radiating off of the spot beside her. She didn't really know what was going on or that she was wrapped in the arms of a Reaper, nor did she particularly care to find that out. She knew that they were both staring at her in slight surprise and she wanted them to stop because they were setting off her sixth sense and they were making her uncomfortable. She just wanted the two of them to hush so she could sleep in peace. She sighed in her mind._ 'Men. Must they always throw their testosterone around like a damn football?_' She pondered sleepily._ 'I guess so because they do it so much. Guess it's just one of those things that they just can't resist doing. Such strange creatures, men.'_  
Akuryo chuckled softly and ran his fingers through her short and slightly spiky hair. "You shouldn't have dyed your hair nor should you have cut it. I didn't even recognize you when you first met me." He commented, secretly displeased about the changes done to her hair.  
Shi blinked sleepily and looked up at him confused. Her eyes widened in shock as she quickly realized what was going on. She stared at him, stunned into silence for a moment. When she remembered how to speak, she muttered, "But... I never met you before I got the Death Note... So how'd you know I cut and dyed my hair? That this isn't my natural color?"  
Akuryo smirked slightly. "That's a secret, one I'm not about to share with you just yet."  
Her eyes narrowed slightly. "Why noooooot?" She whined.  
" Because you don't need to know yeeeeet." He copied her whiny tone.  
"Nyehhh! I'm going to piss you off until you tell me." Was her response to that.  
He rolled his eyes and replied, "You do that anyway without even trying."  
"Imagine how bad it'll be when I'm actually trying then." She retorted sassily.  
His eyes narrowed. "Don't you think it's a little too early to be sassy?" He growled.  
"It's never too early for S&S." She answered with a smirk.  
He raised an eyebrow. "S&S?" He asked, not sure he really wanted to know the answer.  
Her smirk widened. "Sass and Sarcasm of course!" She answered cheerfully.  
Ryuk chuckled and decided to intervene in what was becoming a battle of immaturity and stop it before Shi really did start trying to piss the volatile Reaper off. "How did you sleep last night?" He asked "innocently".  
Shi-Tenshi yawned and gave him a look of disapproval, knowing exactly why he bothered to ask now that she was more aware and not practically a zombie. She cocked her head to the side and crossed her arms sassily, not at all afraid to display her displeasure. "The first half of the night? Like shit. I would've been better off not sleeping at all. The second half of the night? Seeming as I didn't dream at all after that, I slept quite well. Great, in fact. Best sleep that I've gotten in quite a while if I'm to be honest."  
Ryuk blinked in surprise. He had expected her to blush darkly and look away yet she was perfectly calm and composed and even more astonishing is that she was being _honest. _He stared at her, not sure what to say, as she laid back down, almost on Akuryo. It was her bed, he could move. She was still thoroughly embarrassed about last night. Instead of getting up or moving like she expected, he did the exact opposite.  
"Mine." He stated simply, wrapping his arms tightly around her and burying his face in her hair.  
She blinked and looked up at him in shock with an eyebrow sharply raised questioningly.  
Akuryo looked down at her. "You have my Death Note, it belongs to you but that's not a one way street. Because my Death Note now belongs to you, you now belong to me, and I have to protect you now because of it." He explained.  
She raised the other eyebrow to join the first. "And why is that, might I ask?"  
"Yes you may. The reason is that by protecting you, I'm also protecting my Death Note. I could hate your guts but if you have my Death Note, I'm obligated to protect you to prevent it from being harmed. However, if I can regain ownership of the Death Note, there's no reason for me to protect you. I could even kill you if I wanted to. However, it's not always that easy, so because you have my Death Note, I have to protect you from any and all threats, including myself, so owning my Death Note automatically grants me ownership of you. The best way to stay alive is to possess a Reaper's Death Note because they are bound to protect you, even from other Reapers."  
She nodded slowly, unsure of how to feel about essentially being someone else's property, more debate added by the fact that it wasn't a human "owning" her. Ok, that's a lie. She was actually beyond pissed at the thought. "So... Does Light belong to Ryuk now then?" She asked, both curious and disturbed by the thought.  
Akuryo shook his head. "No, he does not. It's a Reaper thing only. It doesn't apply to Shinigami." He answered.  
"Well then." Was her only response.  
"Hm? Something wrong? What is it? Are you ok? Do I need to go kill someone?" Akuryo borderline interrogated.  
Shi blinked in surprise at the barrage of questions that she didn't expect to come from the cold Reaper. _'Then again, he has to protect his "property".' _She thought bitterly.  
"No. Nothing. I'm fine. That's not necessary but you can if you want to." She answered all his questions in one breath, making no attempt to mask the slight displeasure in her tone. Oh yes, she was angry. They looked at her, surprised, when they heard it. It's ok though because she wasn't expecting that much venom to be in her voice either.  
"That was unexpected." Ryuk noted.  
"I'm not exactly in a good mood right now. The only thing that could make my mood worse is if I had to go out in public and socialize.  
Ryuk crossed his arms. "You have very poor social skills." He noted incorrectly.  
"Actually, that's not true. I can't have poor social skills if I don't have any at all." She retorted cheerfully.  
"You don't get out much do you?" Akuryo asked dryly.  
"Nope! Not at all! Light's the only one brave enough to hang out with a freak of nature like me. No one is willing to be around me, much less date me. I'm an unbearable freak!" She responded cheerfully, sporting a fake happy smile.  
Akuryo let out a silent growl and looked highly displeased. She blinked and looked up at him.  
"Something wrong?" She asked, genuinely ignorant.  
He leaned down so that he was face to face with her. She blinked and leaned away awkwardly. It was awkward because he was still holding her tightly in his arms. He let out an angry growl. "You. Are not. A freak." He hissed, emphasizing almost every word.  
She stared at him in silent with wide eyes for a moment before asking him, "How long have you been stalking me?"  
He sighed and answered vaguely. "Quite a while."  
"How very specific." Shi-Tenshi said sarcastically before continuing. "If that's truly the case, then you should be well aware of the fact that I am everything but normal and in today's human society, if you're not normal, then you're a freak. But hey, I'd rather be a freak and be me than be normal and try to be someone else, rather than be another one of those damn copies running around. I really don't like those frikkin clones. They're so damn annoying."  
Akuryo blinked a few times at her choice of words before smirking slightly. "Good girl. However, I would prefer that you use a nicer term. You're so mean when you talk about yourself." He praised and chided at the same time.  
She rolled her eyes. "If you insist." She said with a sigh.  
"I do." Was his simple reply, which they both know he stole from her.  
She gave him a look and sighed. "Why must people steal my lines and noises and then claim that I picked them up from them?" She emo-ed and wondered aloud.  
Ryuk snickered and said, "Don't be emo. If you're emo then Akuryo will get emo and he's a rather violent emo. It's pretty scary." He ended the thought with a shudder, as if a chill went creeping down his back.  
"Nyehhh, much emo." She replied, emo.  
Akuryo sighed and started brooding. Shi-Tenshi just gave him an odd look.  
"Why're you brooding...?" She asked curiously.  
She couldn't help but stare at what his answer was.  
"Simple, really. Sulking is unattractive and while I don't need any help, brooding is sexy and I'd rather increase my appeal than decrease it." He answered with a straight face, **completely** serious.  
Shi laughed after a minute and couldn't help but ask, "Akuryo, **what** are you smoking and **where** can I get some?"  
Akuryo chuckled and rolled his eyes while Ryuk gave her an odd, confused look.  
"What?" She asked.  
"Aren't you too young to smoke, making giving you anything illegal?" He asked confused.  
Shi nodded. "Of course it's illegal and so are drugs yet people do them anyway. Besides, I wasn't actually serious. I disapprove of most drugs. The only drug I'm addicted to is caffeine. Speaking of which, I want coffee." She declared and tried to escape Akuryo's very restraining grasp.  
Akuryo sighed and let her go but their legs were still tangled together in the sheets, all but trapping them there.  
They both looked down.  
"Well then. We seem to have a problem." Shi-Tenshi said awkwardly.  
"So it seems indeed." Akuryo replied calmly.  
Shi just stared at him and then the sheets, trying to figure out how to free their legs and why Akuryo was acting so strange. She somewhat understood his actions last night but so far today, most of the things he's said and done confused her. He was acting like he _slightly_ cared but she knew that was impossible. He was only looking after his own interests: his Death Note. He didn't really care about her, just the notebook she carried. She knew it was all an act.  
Ryuk got a mischievous look in his eyes and hid a smirk. "I can solve this problem." He told them.  
Shi raised an eyebrow while Akuryo's eyes narrowed slightly.  
"How?" He asked curtly.  
"Do it then." Shi more or less ordered, wanting to be as far away from the Reaper as possible.  
"Ok! It's really easy! It's this!" Ryuk said cheerfully right before he ripped the blankets and such off the bed, sending them flying off.  
Akuryo twisted and held Shi so that he was holding her when he hit the floor so she didn't get hurt. He let out a soft 'uff' when he hit the ground while Shi landed on his chest due to the way he was holding her. She flinched when her head smacked into his chest.  
"Ow..." She mumbled softly, once again confused by his actions. At times like this, she really wished she was as smart as Light.  
Akuryo felt his anger rising faster than it ever had before when he heard that, despite how quiet she said it. "**Ryuk...!**" He growled evilly but Ryuk was too busy laughing hysterically to take notice of the extreme danger he was currently in.  
"You should have seen the looks on your faces when you went flying. Ha it was hilarious! Oh, and it was _so_ sweet the way you caught her so she didn't get herself hurt, Akuryo! It was probably the sweetest thing I've ever seen you do!" Ryuk continued to cackle loudly, unaware of the pending danger.  
By this time, Light had walked in to see what had Ryuk laughing so hard and he was instantly confused the moment he walked in the door because the first thing that he saw was Akuryo and Shi's position on the floor before he was even in the room.  
"... Do I even want to know what the hell is going on?" He asked after a moment of hesitation.  
Shi sighed and slowly sat up as did Akuryo so she was now sitting in his lap facing him. She sat there for a moment, awkwardly debating what to do when she suddenly sensed someone or something watching them. She slowly got up out of Akuryo's lap and turned to address Light, who was still confused and waiting for an answer.  
She sighed and told him what happened, twitching slightly at the snickering Shinigami in the background.  
Akuryo got up as well and summoned his scythe. "I may not be able to kill you, Ryuk, but I sure as hell can make you _**scream**_." He snarled, moving his scythe in a deadly arc but not before making sure Shi and Light were far out of range of his scythe. It'd be horrible if he hurt one of them on accident.  
Ryuk's eyes widened and he barely managed to move out of the way of the pissed Reaper's very deadly weapon. Just because it couldn't kill him didn't mean it wouldn't **hurt**.  
"Really, Akuryo?!" He demanded.  
Akuryo answered with a furious snarl. "Yes, really. I should be asking _**you**_ that." And he swiped his scythe at him again, this time hitting him across the chest.  
Ryuk let out a pained groan and held his chest despite there being no wound._ 'Damn Reaper weapons...' _He thought to himself with a mental twitch. His eyes widened slightly when he was thrown against a wall and there was a very dangerous Reaper scythe at his throat faster than he could blink.  
"Don't you ever, _**ever**_, do something that can hurt her like that again or I _**will**_ find a way to kill you. _**Do you understand**_?" Akuryo growled quietly, evilly in his ear so as the two humans in the room couldn't hear what he said.  
Ryuk nodded quickly, wholeheartedly believing that the angry Reaper would indeed be the one to find a way to kill him if something happened to the girl and he discovered it was somehow his fault.  
He let out an evil hiss, "Good," and let him go.  
Shi rubbed her arms as the feeling of being watched intensified and sent a chill down her spine. She studied the three boys for any sign that signified they felt something was wrong. The only one who noticed her doing so was Akuryo, who, shockingly, smiled slightly at her. Her eyes widened a fraction at that small action. She had never seen him smile before so she was beyond shocked to see it now, in person, with her own two eyes. She was slightly worried as well and was starting to wonder whether or not that was actually the sarcastic, asshole Reaper that seemed to be a natural when it comes to pissing her off. _'Is it really Akuryo?' _ She couldn't help but wonder.  
Akuryo, ignoring Light and Ryuk's conversation about which apples are the best, walked over to her and stood in front of her. She had to look up slightly to see his whole face. He leaned down slightly and whispered in her ear, "You can feel it too, can't you? The feeling that we're not alone, that we're being watched. You've noticed that we're being watched right now. Light and Ryuk have yet to do so."  
Shi's eyes widened slightly. She tensed slightly at how close he was. She whispered back, "How'd you know I cou-"  
The Reaper cut her off. "It's a Reaper. You can sense when they're near."  
Shi now bore a confused expression. "I can? How?" She asked incredulously.  
Akuryo sighed before replying. "I won't tell you details of how but you've experienced prolong exposure to Reapers. I know you were completely unaware of this but I assure you, it's quite true. Because of that, you can detect the presence of Reapers. You've been able to for awhile, you simply were not aware of it. It's an ability that has been hiding in the subconscious part of your mind. Now that you are aware of this ability, you can focus and increase its accuracy. The reason Light and Ryuk don't sense him right now is because they've had little to no exposure to Reapers, unlike you, who unknowingly grew up surrounded by them."  
She stared slightly in shock._ 'I've been exposed to Reapers?! How?! When?! How'd I not know about this?!'_ She mentally demanded and started trying to figure out when she could have possibly been around a Reaper other than Akuryo. She couldn't think of any at all.  
_'Then again... It's not like they would just advertise that they're undead spirits who transports dead souls to heaven or hell.'_ She mentally snorted. _'Like __**that**__ would go over well._' She sighed softly, earning her a raised eyebrow from Akuryo. She shook her head and whispered softly, "I don't know how what you said could possibly be true, but for some reason I trust you and because I trust you, I'll believe you as well." She smiled slightly, awkwardly.  
Her words made Akuryo blink owlishly in surprise._ 'She trusts me...? Heh. Interesting. Shi-Tenshi, you truly are one of a kind.' _He thought, amused. He smirked slightly. "You trust me. How interesting... Not to mention foolish." He told her, voice laced with amusement.  
"Foolish? Maybe but that would make sense. I **am** one part brave and three parts fool after all." She replied without missing a beat.  
This made him chuckle deeply. "That would explain everything if it was true."  
She raised an eyebrow in curiosity. "Do tell how what I said is false. I'm very curious to know." She insisted.  
He smirked. "Bravery is just another word for foolishness so if you're one part brave and three parts fool, you're actually four parts fool."  
Shi snorted softly. "That depends on who you ask. This is something that truly depends on the eye of the beholder." She argued her case.  
She then noticed that Ryuk and Light was giving them both odd looks.  
"What?" They asked in sync and then looked at each other in horror.  
Light sighed and said, "Alright, I'll bite. What's going on? You're both acting weird. Also, what were you even talking about...?"  
Shi just sighed and shook her head. "You'd rather not know, trust me." She told him before remembering something. "I still haven't had coffee! I neeeeeed my caffeine!" She cried and ran down the stairs.  
Light just sighed and followed his caffeine addict friend to the kitchen where she was making iced coffee.  
Light waited until she noticed him to speak.  
"Yes, Light?" She asked without turning around.  
He blinked in surprise. "How'd you know it was me or that there was anyone here?" He asked curious.  
"I knew someone came down the stairs because I heard them creak." She answered the first part of his question.  
Light smiled invisibly. "How'd you know it was me?" He inquired.  
She turned around holding her coffee in one hand and offered him the cup in her other hand. He took it gratefully.  
"It's rather simple. Remember when I was sick and made you cuddle a few months ago?"  
He nodded because he was drinking coffee.  
She continued. "I knew it was you because you smelled like you. I lied when I said I heard the stairs creak. You should've known I was because you know I'm as deaf as a door nail. I knew you were there because I could smell you. I could smell you because my eyes were closed and you were pretty close."  
He laughed softly and replied , "I forgot that you had a good nose."  
She just rolled her eyes good natured and sipped her ice coffee through her straw. Light smiled at her before noticing the dark circles around her eyes. Then his smile faltered and his eyes narrowed slightly in worry. "Are you ok ?" He asked worriedly.  
She sighed and nodded before stopping and shaking her head. "I had _**that**_ dream again." She said quietly, putting her cup down.  
He put his down as well and pulled her into a hug. She sighed and hugged him back, burying her face in his shoulder. He nuzzled her hair slightly and ran his fingers through the small spikes. She sighed softly and nuzzled his shoulder slightly. Neither of them noticed Sayu, Light's little sister, walk in to the kitchen until she went, "Aww! Is it finally official?! Are you guys finally coming out of the friend zone?!" She asked this excitedly, causing the two teenagers to sigh and pull away from each other.  
"No, Sayu. I just had the nightmare again. That's all. We're still drowning in the friend zone." Shi told her, cracking a slight smile at the last part.  
Sayu's eyes widened in shock. "Oh... I'm sorry..." She whispered guiltily.  
Shi smiled sadly and pulled the younger girl into a hug and pet her hair. "It's alright. There's nothing to be sorry for."  
Sayu hugged back tightly. "I jumped to conclusions and you had the dream again..."  
Shi sighed softly. "It happens." Was her short reply.  
Sayu nuzzled her chest before pulling away. "Will you make an American breakfast? It's been a while since you did. Please please please?" The young girl practically begged.  
Shi laughed and nodded. "Alright. I'll make scrambled eggs and French toast."  
Light laughed softly. "I do believe she asked for an American breakfast, not French." He teased.  
Shi rolled her eyes good natured and retorted. "There's nothing American about America. Practically everything in our culture came from other cultures. As far as I know, the only thing that was founded in America is the fortune cookie and the only place you can find those are in Chinese restaurants."  
The three youngsters laughed out loud causing the two beings of death to come down the stairs to see what was going on. Ryuk blinked in confusion and Akuryo just gave them an odd look before shaking his head and leaning against the fridge. Shi's smile faltered slightly when she noticed him but no one seemed to notice.  
She forced a smile and asked, "Should I get started then?"  
Sayu jumped up and down and cheered happily. Shi's smile turned genuine as she took that as a yes. She walked over to the fridge and after Akuryo moved, got out everything she would need and started cooking.


	8. Fight

**Chapter 8. Fight**

****A week later: Thursday night*****

Shi-Tenshi was walking home from Light's house in the dark. The only reason that Light was allowing her to do so was because of the rather large pocket knife that she had in her cargo pants.

The air was cool and crisp and it smelt like there was a storm coming. Shi just hoped it didn't hit until she got home. She increased her pace until she was jogging. The only sound she heard was the scrape of the bottoms of her shoes on the sidewalk. She really didn't want to be out when it started raining. Walking home in the rain was rather miserable.

She ran and she ran until she made it to her apartment. Right as she stepped on the porch, the dam broke and rain poured down like a waterfall. She stared out at the down pour and thanked god that she missed it. With a sigh of relief, she turned around and went inside. Her eyes widened in horror at what was inside as she realized that her door wasn't just unlocked, the lock and door frame were broken. They weren't the only things broken either.

Chairs were broken. Tables were overturned. Her RENTED couch was sliced open and the stuffing was pulled out of it. There were gouges in the walls she painted herself and in large red letters dripping down the wall to resemble blood, were the words: "Watch your back or it'll get stabbed."

Shi slowly fell to her knees, breathing erratically. Her breath came in short gasps as her anxiety attack slowly grew more fierce. She sat and slowly brought her knees to her chest and wrapped her arms around them. She buried her face in her knees and tried to calm her breathing the way she had been taught. Nothing was working. For the next fifteen minutes, all she could hear was the sound of her own gasps for breath until she heard footsteps.

"What the hell happened here?" Akuryo hissed angrily.

Shi let out a forced, choked laugh. "I'm not a very popular person." She answered simply, forcing obviously fake laughter. She didn't even look up at him.

Akuryo sighed and picked her up. Shi flailed slightly at the unexpected action before calming down. She looked up at him questioningly.

"I'll pick this up. You rest." He ordered.

"But-" Shi started.

"REST," Akuryo growled, causing Shi to snap her mouth shut and nod.

Akuryo smirked slightly. "Good girl." He told her, surprisingly without sarcasm. This earned him an odd look but the girl remained silent as the Reaper took her to her bedroom, one of the few places that miraculously escaped unscathed.

He, surprisingly gently, laid her on her bed and watched her curl up in a ball. He sighed softly before ruffling her hair gently before leaving to clean up her apartment.

Shi burrowed under the covers as she finally calmed down from her anxiety attack.

'It's been a while since I've had one of those... It's not like I expected them to be gone though. I knew it was only a matter of time.' she thought, rather morbidly.

She sighed, depressed, and closed her eyes. As soon as her eyes slid shut, she heard the sound of rushing water and gun fire. Her eyes snapped open as her breathing once again was reduced to short gasps. She was having ANOTHER panic attack. Her world span around her before suddenly fading to black.

Akuryo caught her before she hit her head. He sighed and laid her in her bed and pulled the covers over her. He ruffled her hair and blinked when she leaned into his hand.

"Heh... I'd say you haven't changed a bit, but that'd be a lie. You're so full of hatred now, aren't you, Shi?" He mused aloud.

She stirred in response to his voice but didn't wake up. He sighed softly at this before walking over to the door. He flicked the lights off, engulfing her in darkness, just like how he knew she preferred it to be when she slept. He heard her shift in response to the change but could detect no other movement.

He nodded and left her room, quietly closing the door as he did so, and resumed fixing up her apartment.

***Le skip to school, Friday morning***

Shi was riding up to school on her skateboard when she noticed Akuryo was gone. She looked around for him but stopped when she almost crashed into a tree.

"Oh shit!" She exclaimed and swerved, missing the tree. At that moment, she was very happy about how loose the trucks on her board were. This WAS her fast and agile board after all and overall her favorite. She had worked on it for hours to make it, in her eyes, perfect. She smiled at the smooth ride down the sidewalk and carefully, gracefully, moved around pedestrians with such ease that left them surprised. She smiled politely at the adults, who in return, said good morning and told her to be careful, while on the other hand, she whistled sharply at teenagers so they'd know she was there. It was the same teens each day and she always took the same route so they knew who it was and that she was coming. She did this to avoid freaking them out at a random appearance and getting smacked instinctively. The adults she warned with a loud but polite "excuse me". She was very polite when it came to most adults. Emphasis on most.

She continued to move around figures before spotting a very familiar one. Her face then twisted into a mischievous grin. Kicking off hard, Shi speed up to the figure and jumped over them, causing them to squeak slightly and fall back in shock. It was her best female friend, Yukiko.

"Hey there~." Shi sang cheerfully.

"H-hey! Don't do that! You scared me!" She stammered, causing Shi to laugh, do a one eighty and hug her freshman friend.

"Sorry sorry!" She said, laughing.

Yuki pouted. "No you're not, quit lying!"

Shi laughed some more and ruffled her hair gently. "I'm sorry I scared you but I'm not sorry I did it." She clarified with a forced grin. Every smile, every laugh was being forced this morning and they both knew it.

Yukiko's eyes darkened. "What happened?" She demanded to know.

Shi just shook her head. "Don't worry about it, sis. Just some idiots broke into my apartment yesterday." She informed her.

Her eyes widened as she rode beside Shi on her own skateboard. "What?! What'd they break?" She asked forcefully.

Shi sighed. "What they didn't break would be a shorter list..." She muttered quietly.

Yukiko let out a dark growl, mood doing a complete one eighty, something that never failed to shock most people. Shi, however, was quite used to her non-legally adopted little sister's mood swings. She sighed and ruffled Yuki's hair, receiving a pout as punishment.

"Sissyyyy!" She pouted.

Shi smiled slightly and told her, "Love you, Kitty," earning herself a happy smile and being glomped off her skateboard. She caught her sister quickly and made sure she didn't hurt herself on the pavement.

"Love you too, Fox!" Yukiko declared, smiling happily before taking on a worried look. "You ok, sis?" She asked, worriedly.

Shi nodded and sat up with her in her lap. "Yeah, I'm fine. Are you alright?" Shi asked.

Yuki nodded and got up. "I iz." She replied cheerfully, mood drastically changing again.

Shi smiled slightly and got up. "I love your bipolar-ness." She told her, smiling softly.

"Yay!" Yukiko cheered, now riding her skateboard beside her "sister."

Shi smiled and weaves her way in and out of the sea of pedestrians before they finally made it to school.

Shi let out a sigh of relief. "Finally! We're not late either! It's a miracle!" Shi said, relieved they weren't late. She hated being late.

She bid farewell to Yukiko and ran in the building, hurrying to her Senior locker. It was going to be tough without Light there. 'Whyyy did he have to graduate?' Shi mentally grumbled.

She sighed and got her books out of her locker and put her skateboard in. She closed it right as she sensed a fist flying at her head. She span around right as a fist smashed into the spot where her head was moments before.

"Hello to you too." Was her only comment.

The response she received was a backhand across the face. She smirked and spat blood on the guy from where she bit her lip.

"I'd say you hit like a bitch but I hit harder than that." She said sassily.

Her assailant turned out to be none other than the king of the jocks, Gabriel.

Gabriel smiled pleasantly but Shi knew it was completely fake, not too unlike her own smiles, but said nothing. It was his brother, Michael, who spoke.

"Hello, Shi dear. That looks like a nasty bruise. Would you like me to kiss it and make it better?" He asked sweetly but Shi-Tenshi knew his sweet words were laced in poisoned honey.

Shi smiled back sweetly and replied soothingly, "I'm afraid that if you do so, I'll be tempted to rip your lips off and your tongue out."

Michael chuckled and replied, "That's not very nice, Angel." He hit a pet peeve right on the head.

She let out a low growl but didn't allow him the satisfaction of hearing her reply. Her unresponsiveness clearly irritated the boy because he grabbed her shoulder and spun her around. She looked at him blankly as if he wasn't even there. Michael growled, out of patience and hit her in the stomach. The girl allowed herself to fall backwards only to roll to her feet. She didn't fight back, however, because although she could defend herself, she knew they would place the blame on her and would most likely get her expelled. The only reason she was here was to go to school and maybe get a job. She knew that if she was expelled, she would be sent back to America. That was the last thing she wanted. She could take a couple bruises if it meant she got to stay.

She straightened up from her defensive stance, smiled pleasantly and waved her hand tauntingly at the group of boys. The leader, who was Gabriel, glared at her and lunged for her, fist drawn. She smirked slightly and threw her hands to the side tauntingly. She didn't even try to evade or block the blow to her shoulder. Michael also went after her and kicked at the back of her legs. She jumped up, spinning around. She saw a chance and took it, not going to give up a chance to kick the guy in the face.

Michael stumbled back and fell while a third member of the little group, Raquel, slammed her into a locker, disorientating her. She expected more blows but felt none come. Despite the overflow of pain, she could still hear the sounds of a fight. After a few minutes, the noises from the fight stopped abruptly and she could barely hear a great number of people running off so she took a leap and assumed that Gabriel's gang had left.

"Hey... Are you ok?" She heard a warm, worried voice ask her.

She looked up and was surprised to see a very good looking guy kneeling down in front of her.

He asked again, "Are you ok?" But Shi was too distracted to remember how to speak. She could only stare at the being before her

He looked concerned and put his hand on her forehead, causing her to snap out of her trance. She nodded slowly and went to get up.

"H-hey! Be careful! You look like you hit your head pretty hard. Are you sure you're ok?" The boy asked worriedly.

She nodded again but held her head as a sharp pain flashed through her head and she got dizzy. She started to fall but the boy caught her.

"Are you _**sure**_ you're ok?" he asked again, sternly. "Because it seems like you have a concussion."

She just blinked and looked up at him, her world spinning around her. She waited until her eyes could focus before muttering, "I guess I'm not…"

The boy sighed and picked her up. The girl would have flailed if she didn't know that she'd probably pass out if she tried, so she allowed him to do so without resistance. The boy started carrying her to what she assumed was the nurse's office. It was during this time that Shi got a good look at the boy.

He had spiky black hair with a purple tint. His eyes were a deep blue with dark purple flecks. His spikes partially covered his left eye. He had a perfect tan, not too light, not too dark. He wore a single black earring that was in the shape of a kunai dangling down from his left ear.

He smiled down at her reassuringly. Shi forced a smile back. He could clearly tell it was fake because he asked, "You don't smile much, do you?"

Shi sighed and shook her head. He sighed softly. As a distraction, Shi introduced herself.

"I'm Shi-Tenshi Jigoyaku, what's your name?"

"Oh, I should have introduced myself sooner. My name is Karashi Kizuato."


	9. Karashi

**Chapter 9: Karashi**

"Karashi, huh...?" Shi looked up at him and asked, "Why'd you help me? I didn't need it. I'll probably get accused of double teaming them now. I can't afford to be expelled."

Karashi just gave her a LOOK and asked, "You look like you were hit by a car, and you really think that they can accuse you of starting it? Besides, there are these little things called video cameras that would prove your innocence."

Shi was silent before sighing. "I suppose that's true, assuming the principle will even check the cameras. He doesn't really like me that much." She told him.

Karashi just sighed at her and walked into the office. All the staff in there turned to look at them and most of them stared at Shi-Tenshi. Shi sighed and could only wonder how bad she looked. She saw the nurse walk out and stare at her in horror. Shi sighed again and asked, "Is it really THAT bad?"

Nurse Iryo nodded and said, "I was just treating Michael for a broken nose. He said you kicked him in the face and after seeing you, I don't blame you. Bring her in, I'll clean her up."

Karashi nodded and agreed, "Alright." He followed the nurse into her office and Shi could see the nurse's assistant on the phone, saying something about sending some kids to the hospital for broken bones. Shi's eyes widened slightly and she looked up at Karashi, who smirked down at her. "Yes?" He asked innocently.

"Did you do that?" She asked in slight disbelief but with a small smirk.

Karashi's smirk widened as he replied, "Well, you most certainly weren't about to."

She pouted at him before her eyes widened slightly. 'Did I just POUT?! I don't pout! What the hellllll?!' She screamed in her head. 'I must've hit my head really hard...'

She barely noticed that Karashi set her down on the bed until her head hit the pillow, causing her to wince in pain.

Karashi gave her a worried look and asked, "Are you alright?"

Shi took a deep breath and shook her head. Big mistake. It caused her world to spin and she almost fell off the bed in her disorientation. Thankfully, Karashi was quick to catch her. She stared up at him, disoriented. She blinked a few times but that small action sent waves of pain through her head. In the end she just kept her eyes closed. She felt Karashi lay her gently on the bed and flinched slightly at the contact. It would seem her back also took quite the thrashing because it was slowly growing painfully stiff the way it does after she has been moving around a lot. This means that every night her back was as stiff as a board.

She felt someone gently start cleaning the blood off her face. She winced slightly at the contact at the cut on her face, caused when Gabriel hit her in the face with a ring on his hand. She flinched when the nurse put medicine on the cut and placed a gauze bandage on it. She could faintly hear someone walk up. Before the footsteps reached her, she could hear Karashi whisper in her ear, causing her to jump slightly, "Don't worry, I'll protect you."

Shi slowly cracked an eye open. "I don't need you to protect me. I can take care of myself." She informed him, trying to put up a strong front. She didn't need someone to protect her like she was a damsel in distress. She'd rather be used as a punching bag.

He gave her an unreadable look and replied, "I know you can take care of yourself but you won't so I will for you. You can't get in trouble that way."

Shi stared up at him, wishing her eyes would focus because she was seeing more than two of him. "But you'll get in trouble instead." She told him.

He smirked slightly. "No, I won't." He told her. "I'm protecting someone so I can't get in trouble for beating the unholy crap out of them. Don't worry about me." He smiled slightly at her.

She looked away. She was silent for a moment before replying, "They're like hyenas. They'll attack until something stronger than them comes along. However, as soon as the protection is gone, they'll be back, twice as vicious than before. You trying to protect me will only hurt me in the long run."

Karashi was quiet until he gave a simple reply of, "I won't let you get hurt anymore. You'll see." After that, he walked away right as Nurse Iryo walked over with a slight look of surprise.

Shi gave her a questioning look to which the nurse responded to with, "I was just surprised with how good of a job that boy did with cleaning you up."

Shi's eyes widened slightly. 'It was Karashi...? I thought that was the nurse...' She thought to herself.

Shi just stared at her in surprise. "It was him?"

The nurse nodded and told her, "I was on the phone with Light Yagami's mother when you were apparently being patched up. I wasn't in here, I was in my office so I can only assume it was him. He's such a nice boy, standing up for you like that. It's about time someone did."

Shi was too busy staring at her in horror. "Y-you called Mrs. Yagami?! Why?!" She demanded in horror.

Nurse Iryo sighed and told her, "Because that's the name on your records saying who I'm supposed to call in situations like this."

Shi groaned in despair. "Greaaaaat." She mumbled under her breath.

The nurse continued talking but Shi didn't pay her any attention. She once again had the feeling that she was being watched. She knew it was the same Reaper as well. She closed her eyes and tried to focus on where the Reaper was.

'Where are you...' She thought to herself.

Suddenly, she heard a deep chuckling in her mind and heard an obviously male voice in her head say, *Why would I tell you? There's no fun in that. Play the game with me, little kitsune.*

The girl looked around slowly, trying to pinpoint where he was. *As much as I enjoy games, this is one I don't think I'll like.*

She could hear him chuckle in her mind.

*Oh well. You'll learn to enjoy the games I'll play with you. You'll see in time. Farewell for now, little fox.*

She sensed him disappear and realized she wasn't breathing and the nurse was frantically trying to get her attention. She forced herself to inhale, choking and coughing in the process.

"Are you alright?!" Nurse Iryo asked worriedly.

Shi nodded slowly and quietly told the nurse that she was fine. The nurse sighed in relief and slowly pushed her down on the bed.

"Rest." She ordered softly.

Shi sighed and nodded and crossed her arms behind her head. She slowly closed her eyes and tried to drift away into the abyss. She slowed down her breathing and made it even out and laid perfectly still. She gave off the illusion of sleeping peacefully but the truth is that she's wide awake. She sighed softly and tried to relax more. However, she couldn't sleep because thoughts of Karashi's offer of protection would not stop plaguing her mind.

'Why would he even bother to help me? Why would he go through the trouble of it? He has to be new otherwise he'd know that even considering being around me was serious taboo. Only Light and Yukiko dared to do so except for them. They're gone though... Crap, don't think about them!' She sighed softly and changed her train of thought, unaware that she did so far too late and would soon suffer the consequences for the crime against herself that she committed. 'He seemed so nice and genuine though... Maybe he's not too good to be true? I'm not quite sure... I couldn't read him in my current condition. Not well, at least. As far as I could tell, he was being serious. I guess I'll have to wait and see.'

Only once this was settled in her mind could she fall asleep but she would soon realize that she would've been better off staying awake.

*****Dream land again*****

Shi was on a cruise ship with her older sister, Krysta, and two of her friends, twins Hikari and Kurai. Ashe was there too. The three sisters won a music contest and the prize was a cruise. They could bring two people and since the twin boys, Drake and Yael, were on vacation with their older brother, Hikari and Kurai got to come instead.

The four girls and one boy were on the party floor and were watching people dance when Ashe got a look in her eye, one that almost always meant trouble for everyone within a ten mile radius. Shi looked up at her, redirecting her attention from her drink. Her fourteen year old twin grinned at her and said simply, "Let's dance, Angel."

Shi smiled and got to her feet, not at all angered by the nickname. "All right. Sounds fun. You coming, Krysta?" The redhead asked their seventeen year old sister.

Krysta looked up from her book and observed them calmly. "I'll pass." She said calmly, making the twins pout at them. Their pouts could kill too. Krysta smiled slightly and explained. "It's easier to tell if someone is going to try to be a perv from here than it would be up there. I need to know who I'm killing as soon as possible, no?"

The twins grinned and nodded in sync. "Alright sis." They said in sync.

Hikari giggled softly. "You two and your twin-ness. Why aren't we like that, onii san?" She asked her twin brother.

Kurai didn't even look up from his biology text book. "Simple. I'm not a girl, therefore I cannot relate to you as well as I could if I were a female."

His blunt answer made her pout at him.

"But nii saaaan!" She whined.

"Whaaaaaat, ne chaaaaan?" He mockingly whined back.

She pouted at him even more. Krysta sighed at them and pulled Hikari away from her brother.

"That's quite enough, Senji brats." She said in an evil voice that caused BOTH sets of twins to whimper softly and search for a place to hide. Krysta and Krysta alone could keep her younger sisters and their friends in line. No one else had the patience and no one else could instill terror in them like she could.

She smirked slightly in satisfaction at their reactions and sat back down and continued reading her book.

Shi broke the awkward silence by saying, "I thought we were gonna dance?"

Ashe and Hikari grinned and got up.

Ashe nodded. "Hecks yeah! Let's do it!" She answered.

Hikari just cheered and practically dove into the crowd of people dancing. Ashe laughed and followed her into the hoard. Shi grinned and also entered the hoard. She found Ashe and Hikari dancing close to the front to Punk Rock Chick, their favorite song to dance to. She span and joined them in the dance. This song was one they couldn't resist dancing to.

They danced for a long time when Shi felt someone tap on her shoulder. She span around, prepared to hit the person but stopped herself when she realized that it was Kurai.

"Oh. It's just you. I thought I was about to deck a pervert. What's up?" She had to practically shout over the music.

Kurai waited until the song ended until answering, "May I have this dance?"

She blinked and stared at him, realizing the song had switched to a rather slow song. She looked away slightly before looking back at him. "I suppose we can have a friendly dance." She told him.

She didn't see him flinch at her words but he did.

"Yeah... Just a friendly dance..." He muttered softly before taking her hand.

And so they danced. However, halfway through the song there was a large explosion at the front of the stage, right where the twin set of twins were dancing.

Without even thinking, Shi grabbed Ashe and forces her behind her, taking the full force of the blast, which sent the two girls flying forward and slammed them against a wall. Shi flipped them before they hit, taking all the damage from that as well. Kurai had done the same with Hikari but instead of hitting a wall, they went flying over the railing.

Krysta rushed over to her sisters. "Ashe! Shi! Are you two ok?!" She cried.

"Hikari... Kurai... They went over... Get 'em, sis..." Shi mumbled, disoriented.

Krysta had a look of intense confliction until medics came rushing on the scene. Only when she saw them heading over to the twin girls did she leave their side and jump overboard to find the twins.

Hours later, the twins were in the infirmary when Krysta walked in, her clothes and black hair still dripping with water from jumping overboard. The two girls looked at her hopefully but their expressions fell when the albino girl and black haired boy were nowhere in sight.

"S-sister?" Ashe asked, whimpering softly.

Krysta shook her head sadly. "I found them." She said quietly.

Shi's eyes lit up slightly in hope. "Where are they then?" The girl had bandages wrapped around her head and torso from the blast.

Krysta closed her eyes and looked away. "But I didn't find them in time." She whispered almost silently.

*******In the waking world******

Shi jerked awake right when Light walked in with a worried expression. She was breathing shakily and her eyes were wide open as she slowly tried to calm down from her dream.

Light rushed over to her when he saw her "after nightmare" face.

He sat beside her and gently pulled her into his lap the instant he could. She gripped the front of his shirt in desperation and buried her face in his chest. He soothingly pet her hair, but for some reason, it wasn't as effective as it used to be.

"Shi... Which one was it?" He asked quietly.

"Hikari and Kurai..." She whimpered softly.

Light kissed her head. "I'm so sorry..." He whispered.

"I'll have to go see them soon." She whispered weakly.

Light nodded and asked, "Where are they buried? I'll drive you."

She shook her head. "You can't." She told him.

He looked confused. "Why not? Surely it's not too far away." He said, ignorant.

Shi looked up at him and replied, "Light, they were buried back home in America."


	10. Paint War Bonding

**Chapter 10: Paint War Bonding**

*****About a Month Later*****

Shi was repainting her apartment from when it got trashed by the idiots from school and was thanking god that the apartment officials weren't going to charge her for damages and that all she had to fix was the paint on her walls. She had two walls left to paint in the living room when someone knocked on her door.

"Just a sec!" She called, putting her paint brush down in the pail and wiping her hands on the old grey t-shirt she was wearing before making her way to the door.

She opened her door and blinked in slight surprise to see Karashi.

"Hey. I'm not interrupting anything, am I?" He asked politely.

"Um, I was just repainting my living room with a friend, so there's not really anywhere to sit but you can come in." She told him awkwardly.

Karashi nodded and replied, "I can come back later if you want. I just came to ask you something but that can wait. Would you like some help?"

Shi-Tenshi's eyes widened slightly at the offer. "I couldn't-"

Karashi cut her off with a pleasant smile. "It's alright. I don't mind at all."

Shi looked hesitant for a minute before nodding. "Alright. If you insist. Thank you."

Karashi smiled more at her. "It's not a problem."

Shi smiled back slightly and opened the door further to let him in. Karashi walked inside and took off his black Vanns and left them by the door. He was wearing black cargo pants and a plain black t-shirt as well as a spiked bracelet. He also had his customary spike earring in.

Shi felt practically naked in her grey T-shirt and black track pants with a black bandana on Vincent Valentine style. She smiled weakly and told him, "Sorry you had to see me like this. I wasn't exactly expecting company. I never do, now that I think about it. Light doesn't count."

Karashi laughed and replied, "Don't worry about it! You look fine. Is "Light" here?

Shi smiled at him awkwardly and nod but Light chose that moment to walk out of the bathroom, dressed only in a pair of gym shorts and drying his hair with a towel, indicating that he just finished taking a shower. Karashi blinked in surprise and stared back and forth between Shi and Light.

Shi's eyes widened in slight horror. "I-it's not what you think at all!" She stammered, knowing he had the complete wrong idea.

Light gave her a questioning look, wondering why she even bothered explaining herself to the guy he didn't even know.

Karashi held up his hands to silence her and asked calmly but still awkwardly, "I'm guessing this is Light Yagami? I've heard about him from idiots at school. There are plenty of rumors about you two at school."

Shi nodded. "Yeah, this is Light. His bathroom at his house is broken so I let him take a shower over here." Shi explained awkwardly.

Karashi laughed and nodded while Light stood there awkwardly.

Light looked at Karashi and asked darkly, "And just who are you?"

Shi sighed at his overprotective nature while Karashi blinked at the dark tone. Shi answered Light before he decided to write Karashi's name down in his Death Note.

"Light, down boy. This is Karashi, the guy I was telling you about who took care of Gabriel's gang a month ago. Karashi friend, not foe. Down puppy." She said the last part patronizingly because she felt like she was being too nice today.

He gave her a dirty look to which she smiled pleasantly in response to.

They both heard some soft laughter and they turned and saw, much to their surprise, that the laughter came from none other than Karashi.

"I'm sorry," he said, "but you two really _do_ seem fight like an old married couple! I guess some rumors about you two _aren't _**complete** bs."

This statement brought forth an incredibly crippling pout from Shi, causing Light to stare in shock, simply because he had never seen her pout, and Karashi to look away, trying to lessen its effect on him. He made the mistake of looking back at her. He cracked in a heartbeat.

"Alright, alright! I'm sorry! I won't say it again! Please, just stop pouting at me like that! It's so heart wrenching!" He all but begged.

Shi mentally smirked victoriously. "But you said that me and Light fight like an old married couple..." She whimpered softly, pouting more.

Karashi flinched at the pout intensifying. "I'm sorry..." He said quietly, willing to say anything to make her stop pouting.

"It's ok!" She said cheerfully, in a slightly higher pitched voice.

It was Karashi's turn to pout at her as Light just sighed.

_'And I thought there was nothing Shi could do now to surprise me. Did she really just __**pout**__ at this guy?' _He grumbled to himself, looking at Karashi with extreme distrust in his eyes.

"That was pretty cruel, Shi chan." Karashi told her with an adorable pout that rivaled her own.

Shi blinked at the unexpectedness and looked away slightly. "So? Love it. Embrace it. Eat some dango." She replied, looking away slightly.

Karashi chuckled deeply and replied, "I'll gladly do so if you have any."

Shi smiled and nodded. "Just got done making it and letting it cool. It should be ready to eat now."

Karashi smiled and asked, "Are you going to take a break or continue painting? It looks like you'll be done soon but I'll still help you. It'll get done faster that way."

Shi thought for a moment before replying, "Let's finish first and then eat dango to celebrate."

Karashi nodded and said, "Alright, sounds like a plan. Let's get this done."

Shi smiled slightly while Light watched Karashi distrusting.

_'Just who is this guy and why does Shi seem so at ease with him?'_

Karashi smiled and picked up a paint brush while Shi grabbed the one she had been using before she opened the door.

Karashi looked as if he had a question but was hesitant to ask it.

Shi looked over at him and asked, "Is something wrong?"

"Is it alright if I take my shirt off? To avoid getting paint on it?" He asked slightly awkwardly.

Shi blinked before nodding. "Sure. I'm used to seeing shirtless guys. I do have a brother and he does have friends. It's not a bother to me."

"Thanks." Was the only thing Karashi said before pulling his shirt off and folding it up.

Shi had to force her gaze away to avoid staring at him._ 'Since when did I care if I was around an attractive guy?!' _She mentally cried.

Karashi also took off his spiked bracelet.

"Here, I'll take it to the kitchen and put it on the counter." Shi told him, forcing herself to keep her eyes on his face and not letting them wander.

He nodded and handed it to her, saying, "Here Thanks."

Shi-Tenshi forced a smile and nodded. "It's not a problem at all." After that was said, Shi went into the kitchen to get it done. Light took the chance to interrogate Karashi.

"So, why'd you choose to help Shi-Tenshi? It couldn't possibly been out of the goodness of your heart." He spoke coldly.

Karashi gave him an apathetic, half lidded look and replied smoothly, "I don't see how that's any of your business but I suppose I'll tell you anyway. It's because I know what she's been through and she doesn't deserve to be treated like that. If you cared to learn more, you'd understand why she's so jaded but she's not just going to tell you if you don't ask." His eyes were narrowed dangerously by the time he was finished.

Before the fuming Light could reply, Shi walked back in. She could clearly sense the tense atmosphere between the boys and made a mental note to ask one of them about it later.

"So, you ready to start?" She asked, breaking the tense atmosphere between her two guy friends.

Karashi smiled at her. "I'm ready if you are."

Shi-Tenshi smiled back and nodded. "I am."

Light decided to intervene in their talking by saying, "I'll help too." He gave Karashi a distrusting look but the ravenette gave him no mind.

Shi blinked and looked over at him. "Are you sure? You just got out of the shower." She said, seeming rather hesitant about the idea.

Light forced a smile. "I'm sure. It's not a problem at all."

Shi-Tenshi blinked, nodded, handed him a paint brush, picked up her own, and started painting once more. Karashi smiled slightly, stood beside her, and started painting as well. Light, on the other hand started painting the other wall, wanting to be as far away from the other boy as possible. Shi closed her eyes and smiled slightly.

_'How'd I get such great friends?' _She wondered to herself.

She continued painting when Karashi accidentally flicked some of the deep blue paint on her face. She blinked in surprise.

"Did you just flick paint on me?" She asked incredulously.

"Yes, but it was an accident." Karashi then chuckled and smeared a little bit more paint on her face and continued, curious of what her reaction would be. "But _that_ wasn't an accident at all. That was completely intentional."

Shi-Tenshi stared at him in surprise before raising an eyebrow sharply at him while Karashi chuckled, unable to take her seriously with the little bit of paint smeared across her cheek like a little kid pretending to be an Indian.

"Is that so?" She asked challengingly.

Karashi smirked and asked, "What if it is?"

Shi's eyes narrowed before going back to normal. She grinned slightly and declared, "If it is, then you just started a paint war!" She then splat some paint on his chest with her brush.

He shivered at the cold liquid on his chest before adopting a grin of his own. "Challenge accepted!" He replied and swiped his paint brush across her arm.

She squeaked slightly for the same reason that he shivered and moved away from him, but not before covering her paint brush in the cobalt coloring and smeared some paint on his shoulder. Then, once she was out of his paint brush's range, she flung paint at him. However, he ducked right in time and the paint sailed through the air and right into the back of Light's head.

Shi almost dropped her paint brush and covered her mouth, trying to hide her laughter at the look of surprise on Light's face as he slowly touched the paint on the back of his head and looked at the paint covering his fingers. He slowly turned and looked at both of them with a dark but so also playful expression.

"Oh, it's on now!" He declared before flinging paint back at Shi.

She squeaked and dodged, laughing as the pain splattered the wall. Karashi took the chance and splattered paint across Light's chest before moving out of his range but putting himself within Shi's. The girl grinned and ran her paint brush down his back, leaving a large line down his back and caused him to inhale sharply and jump away from her. She laughed and was about to say something when a glob of paint went flying at her face. She closed her eyes and mouth right before it hit, covering most of her face in paint. She blinked her eyes open and looked at Light slowly, fully aware that he was the culprit. She adopted an evil smirk, causing both boys to blink and back away slowly. Light didn't get away fast enough, however, because Shi-Tenshi tackled him to the ground, sat in his lap, and happily started painting random designs on his chest. Karashi was too busy laughing to take advantage of Shi-Tenshi's vulnerability but only for a moment. Once that moment was over, he dripped paint down the back of her shirt. She squeaked in surprise at the cold paint slowly streaming down her back and jerked forward, as if trying to escape the sensation. Karashi laughed hard at her shocked face and her squirming.

"Gahhhh! Feels weiiiiiiird!" She whined slightly.

Karashi laughed more and replied, "I think I won this!"

Shi grinned and retorted, "You won the battle but not the war!" With that being said, she knocked his feet out from under him and sat on his chest. She dipped her paint brush in the can of paint and dripped paint down his chest slowly, causing him to shiver. She laughed maniacally at his squirming but gasped when Light poured a cup of paint on her head.

"Cold, cold, very cold!" She gasped before getting up and allowing Karashi up.

The three of them looked at each other then the walls.

"There's more paint on us than the walls!" Karashi laughed.

Light chuckled. "Well then!" He replied.

Shi giggled softly and said, "It happens. I think we** all **need showers now!"

Karashi laughed and nodded. "Yes, I do believe you're right."

Light just laughed and shook his head.

Shi smiled, hoping that the boys would start getting along better now. "Well, if we're all taking showers, I should go last because I'm pretty sure that I take the longest showers."

Karashi smiled and laughed, replying, "Alright. But that's only true if your showers take longer than an hour. If not, then I take the longest showers and I should go last, not you."

Shi-Tenshi blinked before nodding. "Alright. You can go last then. Go ahead and start, Light, while we paint more. The walls this time." She specified, laughing slightly.

Light chuckled and nodded. "Alright. I'll be back." He told the two, walking back into the bathroom to take _another _shower.

Shi laughed a bit before picking up her paint brush from where she dropped it and started painting the wall again. "Well, that was fun." She said.

Karashi smiled and nodded. "It was indeed."

Shi then remembered something. "You had something you wanted to talk to me about something?" She inquired softly.

Karashi's eyes widened slightly as he realized what she was talking about. "O-oh... Um... Don't worry about it. It was something stupid anyway." He stammered slightly, focusing on the wall he was painting as if it was the most fascinating thing he'd ever seen.

She raised an eyebrow at the stammering and bluntly said, "Tell me or you're getting paint in your pants."

Karashi blinked at her threat before sighing. "I was just curious if you wanted to go out for coffee sometime." He told her, not facing her.

Shi blinked before smiling softly. "Is that all? Sounds great, I'd like that."

Karashi blinked in surprise, having expected the exact opposite answer, he asked, "Really?"

She smiled and nodded. Karashi smiled back and said, "That's great."

Shi's smile turned into a frown when she remembered something very, _**very**_ important.

"What's wrong?" Karashi asked, worried that he screwed up.

Shi sighed and replied honestly, sadly, "It's just we won't be able to go for a while because I leave for America tomorrow with Light. I have graves to visit..."

Karashi's eyes widened and he nodded slowly, sadly. "It's alright, I understand."

Light, who had been eavesdropping, came around the corner and pretended to have just walked in. "What's wrong?" He asked, playing dumb.

Shi-Tenshi gave him a knowing look. "Karashi invited me out for coffee but we're leaving for America tomorrow so we won't be able to do so for a while."

Light looked thoughtful before getting an idea. "I have a simple solution to this problem. He can go with you instead of me tomorrow. That way, you two can still go on your date."

Karashi and Shi-Tenshi stared at him for a minute before they both smiled.

"I'm going to go take my shower now." Shi told the boys before leaving the room.

"Thank you, Light." Karashi had been silent until Shi started her shower. Only when he heard the water start did he speak.

Light gave him an unreadable look and spoke slightly coldly. "I didn't do it for you. I did it for Shi. I just want her to be happy and safe and being around you seems to make her feel both. Just keep in mind that if anything happens to her because of you, I'll end you myself."

Karashi narrowed his eyes at the threat and replied simply, "Noted." And then returned back to painting until it was his turn to shower, ignoring Light's dark glare the whole while.

Light's eyes narrowed to slits. _'If he hurts her, it'll be the last thing he does and his will be my favorite name to write down. So watch your back, Karashi.'_

***********With Shi**************

Shi was slowly washing the paint off with little difficulty, thankful that it was still wet for if it was dry, it'd take forever to come off. As she watched the blue dye go down the drain, she couldn't help but think about how the boys were acting towards each other earlier. She knew that neither trusted the other and they were only tolerating each other for her sake. She sighed softly and finished washing the paint off of herself and out of her hair.

About half an hour, Shi-Tenshi finally turned off the water and stepped out of the shower, wrapping a towel around herself before she stepped out of the shower. She wiped the fog off the mirror and her eyes widened slightly. The hair dye finally washed out of her hair, returning it to her original crimson hue. She also noticed that her hair reached her shoulders now. She sighed softly and grabbed a ponytail holder and pulled her hair into a pony tail. With another deep sigh, she got dressed. She was now wearing a dark purple sleeveless, strapless midriff top and black cargo pants. She put the bandana around her forehead and opened the door to the bathroom and stepped into the living room. She smiled when she saw that the boys finished painting it but frowned slightly and sighed silently when she noticed the tense atmosphere was back and stronger than before.

'_Getting them to get along will be like a full time job and I barely have enough time for the job I actually get paid for. This is going to be difficult. This is gonna suck.'_


End file.
